JAIPUR, Rajasthan: Bhupender Yadav, Minister for Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, Government of India, and Bhajan Lal Sharma, Chief Minister of Rajasthan, awarded nine best-performing cities under the Swachh Vayu Survekshan awards. These awards were conferred in an event organised in Jaipur on the occasion of the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies (Swachh Vayu Diwas). Apart from the awards, a ‘Compendium on Viable Technologies and Practices: Lessons from NCAP Cities’ was also unveiled during the event.
The Swachh Vayu Survekshan Awards were conferred on the nine best-performing cities based on their performance in the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). In this programme, 131 cities have been given the target of improving their air quality. The awards were conferred in three different categories. In populations over 10 lakh population category, Surat, Jabalpur, and Agra were awarded. In the population between the three to 10 lakh category, Firozabad, Jhansi, and Amravati were awarded, while in the population under the three lakh category, Raebareli, Nalagarh, and Nalgonda were awarded. Municipal Commissioners of the winning cities were handed over cash prizes along with trophies and certificates.
The document launched during the event consists of initiatives launched by the cities to improve their air quality. The delegates present in the event also planted 100 saplings under the “Ek Ped Maa ke Naam” campaign in ‘Mantri Van’ at Jaipur Exhibition and Convention Centre.