Are we ready to clear the air? India’s roadmap to cleaner air by 2047

India has demonstrated its capacity for transformative change - from revolutionising digital payments with UPI to advancing sanitation through the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. It has demonstrated our ability to tackle complex challenges through innovation, collaboration and collective resolve. It's time to channel that spirit to the quest for cleaner air, a cornerstone of the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision that aims to achieve WHO standards for air, water and soil.

The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) laid the groundwork for combating air pollution, but progress has fallen short of expectations. NCAP 2.0 offers an opportunity to recalibrate for transformative advancements with enhanced strategies and infrastructure and addressing critical gaps. Air pollution is a severe challenge, responsible for millions of premature deaths annually. It's an issue beyond our borders. Collaborative action among states and neighbours is crucial, especially for managing shared airsheds like the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) that require targeted interventions like region-specific emission laws and tailored mitigation strategies addressing agricultural residue burning, industrial emissions and vehicular pollution.

India's air quality monitoring infrastructure requires expansion to account for industry emissions. Advanced multi-modal data integration is essential for precision management. Also, harnessing AI and machine learning to accurately identify pollution hotspots, and enabling geotagged, timestamped, just-in-time solutions.


Long-term data collection and source apportionment are vital for understanding and mitigating pollution effectively. A four-pillar approach-innovation and research, capacity building, legal frameworks, and outreach-must underpin air quality management.

India must ensure clean energy access, like LPG for households, to address indoor pollution, improve rural health, and empower women. Effective waste management and community sensitisation campaigns can significantly reduce outdoor emissions.

While India's environmental protection budget is modest by global benchmarks, its growing economy offers the capacity for increased investment. India can draw inspiration from countries like China, demonstrating how targeted efforts can lead to transformative progress with a relatively lower GDP at the start of their journey.

Through a unified approach involving government, academia, private sectors, and the community, and by embracing innovation and targeted action, India can achieve cleaner air, laying the foundation for a sustainable, healthy, and prosperous future.

The writer is dean, Kotak School of Sustainability, and project director AI National Centre of Excellence - Sustainable Cities, IIT Kanpur