SWACHH VAYU SARVEKSHAN 2023 (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Env & Eco)
Context: Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister recently announced awards under the Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan 2023 (clean air survey) in Bhopal, with Indore in Madhya Pradesh clinching the top rank in the million-plus population cities.
Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan 2023 (clean air survey)
- Conducted and released by: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
- Assessment criteria: Self-assessments submitted by 130 identified cities under the National Clean Air Programme.
- Evaluation factors: Solid waste control, vehicular emissions, industrial emissions, and improvement in PM10 levels.
- Categories and rank:
o 1st category (million plus population): Indore >Agra>Thane.
o 2nd category (3-10 lakhs population): Amravati>Moradabad >Guntur.
o 3rd category (less than 3 lakhs population): Parwanoo > Kala Amb >Angul.
National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)
- Launched: 2019
- AIM: Time-bound, national level strategy to tackle the air pollution problem across India, in a comprehensive manner.
- Targets:
o Early targets: 20-30% reduction of PM2.5 and PM10 concentration by 2024, taking 2017 as the base year for comparison.
o New targets (Revised): 40% reduction in particulate matter concentration in cities covered under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) by 2026
- Implemented in 132 cities:
o123 Non-Attainment cities (NACs) identified under NCAP
o 8 million Plus Cities (MPCs) identified by 15th Finance Commission
