Image Used For Representational Purpose Only (PTI Photo)
MUMBAI: Seven years and more than Rs 12,000 crore in public spending later, nine out of 10 cities covered by the Centre’s National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) still fail to meet the prescribed annual limit for coarse particulate pollution, with Navi Mumbai and Nashik among the cities reporting sharp increases in pollution levels.
An independent analysis of government data by Manoj Kumar of India Air Quality & Energy Insights found that 117 of the 130 cities covered by NCAP exceeded the national annual standard for PM10 in 2025-26, the programme’s extended deadline. Only 13 cities met the prescribed limit of 60 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m³). Of the ₹16,824 crore released for the 130 cities, ₹12,087 crore, or about 72%, had been utilised, according to the analysis. Navi Mumbai recorded a 59.3% increase in PM10 concentration in 2025-26 compared with 2019-20, despite utilising ₹80 crore under the programme. Against the 2017-18 baseline, 21 cities recorded reductions of more than 40%. However, only eight achieved such reductions when compared with 2019-20, the programme’s starting year. The assessment draws on annual PM10 concentration and funding data for the 130 cities recorded on the government’s PRANA portal.
Because a reduction from an earlier baseline does not necessarily mean that a city has sustained improvements since NCAP began or now meets the national standard, the distinction matters. It notes that official replies and releases have reported figures that differ from calculations based on the portal dataset; the figures presented are the analyst’s calculations and should not be interpreted as government-reported totals. The findings raise questions over the effectiveness of the seven-year programme, which was designed to improve urban air quality through targeted interventions and dedicated funding. These figures do not establish that programme spending caused pollution to increase. They do, however, underline the need to examine whether the measures funded under NCAP addressed the principal sources of pollution and delivered measurable results.