National Clean Air Programme
In one line: The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) is India's national, time-bound plan to cut particulate pollution in its most polluted cities.
What it is
NCAP was launched by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in January 2019. It covers 130 cities, mostly non-attainment cities that repeatedly fail national air standards, and million-plus cities. Each city prepares a clean air action plan covering road dust, vehicles, waste burning, construction and industry.
Targets and money
The early goal was a 20 to 30% cut in particulate levels. It now aims at a 40% cut in PM10, or meeting the national standard, by 2025-26. Grants of more than ₹16,400 crore are linked to performance, and progress is tracked on the PRANA portal.
Why it is in the news
Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan 2026 ranks NCAP cities. 108 of the 130 improved their PM10 levels between 2017-18 and 2025-26, but only 14 met the standard. NCAP has no statutory backing.
Where to go next
- Particulate matter: PM10 and PM2.5
- National Ambient Air Quality Standards
National Clean Air Programme in the news
- Delhi's September AQI hits a five-year low even as PM2.5 and PM10 levels rose 2 October 2026
India's national plan to cut particulate pollution city by city.
- Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan 2026: Lucknow tops million-plus cities on clean air action 8 September 2026
The programme behind the ranking
Previous-year questions on this
- 2021 · GS3 · 10 marks Describe the key points of the revised Global Air Quality Guidelines (AQGs) recently released by the World Health Organisation (WHO). How are these different from its last update in 2005? What…
- 2020 · GS3 · 15 marks What are the key features of the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) initiated by the Government of India?
- 2016 · Prelims In the cities of our country, which among the following atmospheric gases are normally considered in calculating the value of Air Quality Index? 1. Carbon dioxide 2. Carbon monoxide 3. Nitrogen…