Kolkata Recognised for Significant Air Pollution Reduction with Rs 185 Cr AQI Grant

Kolkata: Kolkata has been awarded the third-highest performance-based incentive in the country by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for significant improvement in ambient air quality.

The Kolkata Urban Agglomeration (UA) has been recognised as one of India’s best-performing cities under the National Clean Air Program (NCAP).

The total grant amounted to Rs 184.5 crore for FY 2024-25. This includes Rs 168.8 crore under the Ambient Air Quality Grant (AQI grant). An additional Rs 15.8 crore is granted as a performance-based incentive for achieving measurable reductions in air pollution, specifically in PM10 levels.

Apart from Kolkata, Asansol too received Rs 5.2 crore as a performance incentive, making it two feathers in the state’s cap.

The funds are part of the 15th Finance Commission’s Million Plus Challenge Fund, aimed at supporting cities in sustained efforts for cleaner air.

This was on the basis of a performance assessment of 48 major Indian cities carried out by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Improvements in annual average PM10 concentrations and an increase in the number of good AQI days were evaluated.

It has been stated that 21 best-performing metropolitan cities and urban areas were identified across the states. Uttar Pradesh (UP) had the highest number of cities (seven), followed by MP (three). UP received the highest grant allocation of Rs 91.44 crore, while Punjab received the lowest allocation of Rs 1.54 crore.

As per CPCB data, Kolkata registered a 2.2 per cent reduction in PM10 concentration from 2022-23 to 2023-24. The number of good air quality days also increased, with 352 good days recorded out of 356 observed days.

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