Out of ₹42.69 crore allocated by the Central Government over the last four financial years for clean air in Delhi, only 32% of the funds have been utilized by the Delhi Government and other agencies. This information was revealed by the Union Minister for Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav, in response to a question raised by Chandni Chowk MP Shri Praveen Khandelwal in Parliament.
Shri Khandelwal criticized the Delhi Government, stating that while the Central Government provided sufficient funds, the Delhi Government’s lack of interest in improving the environment resulted in underutilization of the allocated amount.
In a written response in the Lok Sabha, Shri Yadav stated that from 2019-20 to 2024-25, a total of ₹42.69 crore was allocated by the Central Government for environmental protection in Delhi. However, only ₹13.56 crore (32%) was utilized for implementing the City Action Plan to improve air quality.
The funds were disbursed through the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), but the Delhi Government failed to effectively utilize them.
The response further highlighted that there are six non-attainment cities (NACs) in the Delhi-NCR region, of which three cities—Delhi, Alwar, and Noida—are funded under NCAP, while the remaining three cities—Ghaziabad, Meerut, and Faridabad—are financed under the 15th Finance Commission. These funds are meant to implement City Action Plans to improve air quality in the identified cities.
From 2019-20 to 2024-25, ₹476.04 crore was allocated for Delhi-NCR cities, of which ₹334.53 crore (70%) was utilized.
Shri Yadav also stated that since 2021-22, 130 non-attainment cities are being provided performance-based grants. The release of funds is contingent on the city’s performance in improving air quality, as assessed annually by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Cities scoring less than 40 do not receive funds.
Since December 2021, 40 teams appointed by CPCB have inspected 18,976 units/projects across Delhi-NCR. These inspections covered pollution-causing industries, construction and demolition sites, and generator sets, assessing compliance with pollution control measures.
On the issue of stubble burning, Shri Yadav mentioned that the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare launched a scheme in 2018 to provide subsidies for the purchase of crop residue management machinery and establish Custom Hiring Centers (CHCs) for in-situ management of paddy straw in Delhi-NCT, Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.
From 2018 to 2024-25 (until November 15, 2024), a total of ₹3,623.45 crore was allocated to these states (Punjab – ₹1,681.45 crore, Haryana – ₹1,081.71 crore, Uttar Pradesh – ₹763.67 crore, Delhi-NCT – ₹6.05 crore, and ICAR – ₹83.35 crore). Over 3 lakh machines and more than 40,000 Custom Hiring Centers have been made available to farmers in these four states.