Question : Reduction in Air Pollution

(a) the actions proposed by and for States with regard to the National Clean Air Programme;
(b) whether the Government proposes to initiate a joint programme with Ministries of Road, Transport and Highways and Railways to reduce air pollution with emphasis on automobile emission and if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether a cap on automobiles owned per family in cities with population of more than five lakhs would aid improving air quality index of the country and if so, the details thereof;
(d) whether the Government proposes to come up with any such rule soon and if so, the details thereof; and
(e) whether the Government also proposes to initiate any scrappage policy for old vehicles, if so, the details thereof along with the other preventive measures taken to check the growing number of vehicles from plying on the road?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
(SHRI BABUL SUPRIYO)

(a) The Central Government launched National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) as a long-term, time-bound, national level strategy to tackle the air pollution problem across the country in a comprehensive manner with targets to achieve 20 % to 30 % reduction in PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations by 2024 keeping 2017 as the base year for the comparison of concentration. Under NCAP, 102 non-attainment cities have been identified based on ambient air quality data for the period 2011 – 2015 and WHO report 2014/2018. The city specific Action Plans have been prepared and approved for ground implementation for all 102 non-attainment cities.

(b) to (d) The Central Government has taken several initiatives to control automobile emission for the abatement and control of air pollution. These inter alia include
• BS-IV standards adopted from 1st April, 2017. Leapfrogging from BS-IV to BS-VI fuel standards since 1st April, 2018 in NCT of Delhi, in NCR since October 2019 and by 1st April, 2020 in the rest of the country for both fuel as well as vehicles.
• To promote electric vehicles, Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME -2) scheme has been rolled out with an outlay of Rs 10000 crore for 3 years.
• Permit requirement for electric vehicles has been exempted.
• Promotion of public transport and improvements in roads and building of more bridges and bypasses to ease congestion on roads.
• Introduction of cleaner / alternate fuels like gaseous fuel (CNG, LPG etc.), ethanol blending in petrol.
• In Delhi, operationalization of Eastern Peripheral Expressway & Western Peripheral Expressway has been able to divert about 60000 non-destined vehiclesfrom Delhi daily.
• In Delhi, about 500 new CNG stations have been opened during the last 5 years.
• Use of RFID tags have been made mandatory for commercial vehicles entering Delhi. This has resulted in decrease in traffic congestion at Toll collection/Environmental Compensation Charge collection centres.

(e) The Ministry of Steel has notified the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy on 7thNovember 2019. The policy provides a framework to facilitate and promote establishment of metal scrapping centres in India for scientific processing & recycling of ferrous scrap generated from various sources and a variety of products including automobiles. The policy framework provides standard guidelines for collection, dismantling and shredding activities in an organized, safe and environmentally sound manner. The Policy prescribes the guidelines for setting up and responsibilities of dismantling centre and scrap processing centre, roles of aggregators and responsibilities of the Government, manufacturer and owner.
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