Prakash Javadekar says govt has made city-specific plans to check pollution

Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar has said that the government has made city-specific plans to check pollution. He said pollution is being monitored in 355 cities at present.

Replying to the discussion in Lok Sabha on air pollution and climate change yesterday, Mr Javadekar stressed the need to work daily to fight the menace of air pollution. The Minister said, 80 per cent vehicular emissions reduction was registered after the adoption of BS IV fuel standards in heavy-duty diesel vehicles.

Mr Javadekar informed the house that India has already reduced its carbon emissions intensity by 22 per cent. Saying planting saplings



can be a good initiative, the Minister suggested that every citizen should plant at least seven trees. He informed that the Central Government has notified a Graded Response Action Plan for Delhi and NCR for different levels of pollution.

Mr Javadekar said a number of initiatives have been taken for the abatement and control of air pollution including, operationalization of Eastern Peripheral Expressway and Western peripheral Expressway in 2018. He said, the government is ready to adopt any new technology that helps in reducing pollution. He claimed that New Delhi will take less time than Beijing to improve its air quality.