Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) unveils National Clean Air Programme Portal, “PRANA”

Bhupendar Yadav, the Minister of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), launched a portal “PRANA” (Portal for Regulation of Air-pollution in Non-Attainment cities) under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) on the occasion of the second International Day of Clean Air For Blue Skies, this week. The portal aims to provide real-time information on city-wise pollution levels, measures taken by 132 Indian cities to curb air pollution levels, as well as historical data on air pollution mitigation milestones achieved since 2018 till date.

While commenting at the event, Yadav stated “Central Government has launched several initiatives to improve air quality in the entire country, with the Prime Minister himself setting a goal for holistic improvement in air quality in more than 100 cities. “86 cities showed better air quality in 2019 in comparison to 2018, which increased to 104 cities in 2020”.

“Government under the leadership of the Prime Minister is now actively linking all policy approaches to give paramount importance to conserve public goods like water, air and Earth” he added.

The PRANA approach is multi-disciplinary, spanning multiple ministries and regional institutes including IITs, NITs, and laboratories across India, as well as international organizations. In this manner, PRANA aims to augment public awareness and capacity-building measures. 

NCAP is a comprehensive initiative in partnership with various Ministries and States to improve air quality at a city, regional, and national level.  It was initiated in 2019 to implement various sectoral policies, strengthen monitoring, and enhance public participation in 132 cities for effective Air Quality Management. The tentative national level target is to reduce Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5) concentration by 20–30% by 2024.