National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)
NCAP is India's flagship programme for improving air quality, launched by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) in January 2019.
- Covers 131 non-attainment and Million Plus cities across 24 States/UTs
- Original target: 20-30% reduction in particulate matter concentration by 2024 (base year: 2017)
- Revised target: Up to 40% reduction in PM10 levels or meeting national standards (60 micrograms per cubic metre) by 2025-26
- City-specific targets range from 4-15% annual reduction in PM10 concentrations
- An annual target of 15% improvement in "Good Days" (AQI below 200) prescribed for 49 Million Plus cities
- Progress: Cities like Jodhpur (50%), Kanpur (50%), Meerut (42%), and Lucknow (41%) have achieved more than 40% reduction in PM2.5 levels compared to 2019
- National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS): PM2.5 annual standard is 40 micrograms per cubic metre; PM10 annual standard is 60 micrograms per cubic metre
● Tracked since March 05, 2026 · last seen July 31, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
25 Jun '26
Delhi to get AI-powered system to forecast pollution, identify hotspots
Science & Technology
27 May '26
Air pollution cut India’s solar power output by 9.6% in 2023, study says
Environment & Ecology
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