The environment ministry has asked all the cities covered under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) to utilise at least 75 per cent of the funds disbursed to them so far in order to access allocations for the financial year 2025-26.
At a meeting held on August 29, it was noted by the monitoring committee overseeing the programme's implementation that of the total ₹13,236.80 crore disbursed to 130 cities under the NCAP, only ₹769.83 crore (74 per cent) had been utilised.
Launched in 2019, NCAP is India's first national initiative to set clean air targets and aims for a 40 per cent reduction in particulate pollution by 2026, using 2019-20 as the base year.
There are 82 cities covered under NCAP that can receive direct funding from the Union environment ministry, while 48 cities and urban agglomerations with populations exceeding one million are funded through the 15th Finance Commission.
Also Read: Environment Min chairs high-level meet to combat air pollution
According to government data, 65 cities have utilised more than 50 per cent of the funds, still falling short of the 75 per cent required to be utilised. Thirteen cities have spent more than 25 per cent but less than 50 per cent of the allocated funds.
Delhi, which receives funding through the 15th Finance Commission, has utilised only ₹14.10 crore (around 20 per cent) of the ₹71.69 crore received from the environment ministry so far.
Noida in Uttar Pradesh has used just ₹7.07 crore (around 13 per cent) of the ₹55.70 crore received so far.
Cities with poor pollution control fund utilisation record include Jalandhar in Punjab, Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir, Gaya in Bihar and Gulbarga in Karnataka.
Follow us
