The International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies (Swachh Vayu Diwas) was observed on 7 September at Jaipur.
- On this occasion, Swachh Vayu Survekshan Awards were presented to the best performing National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) cities under Category-1 (population over 10 Lakhs) to Surat, Jabalpur, and Agra; Category-2 (population between 3 and 10 Lakhs) to Firozabad, Amravati, and Jhansi; and Category-3 (population under 3 Lakhs) to Raebareli, Nalgonda, and Nalagarh.
- The Municipal Commissioners of winner cities were awarded with cash prizes, trophy, and certificate.
- NCAP focuses on preparation and implementation of national level action plan, state level action plans & city level action plans of the targeted 131 Non Attainment Cities.
- Non-attainment cities (NAC)- Cities are declared nonattainment if over a 5-year period they consistently do not meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for PM 10 (Particulate matter that is 10 microns or less in diameter) or N02 (Nitrogen Dioxide).
- The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has launched National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) in January, 2019 as a long-term, time-bound, national level strategy to tackle the air pollution problem across the country in a comprehensive manner.
- The NCAP targets to achieve 20% to 30% reduction in concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5 by the year 2024, keeping 2017 as the base year for comparison of concentration.
