PMO air pollution meet stresses EV transition, charging infra in NCR

A high-level meeting held at the Prime Minister's Office on Monday stressed the urgent need to transition to electric vehicles and develop charging infrastructure in the NCR region to combat air pollution.

Chairing the meeting of the task force, P K Mishra, the principal secretary to the prime minister, called for strict and timely implementation of the Graded Response Action Plan -- a set of anti-pollution measures enforced during winter -- by all relevant agencies to manage air quality effectively, a statement said.

Mishra instructed the chief secretaries of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to rigorously enforce action plans to prevent stubble burning, ensure full utilization of crop residue management machines and support small industries in the economic use of paddy straw, it said.

He stressed the importance of shifting to electric vehicles and expanding EV charging infrastructure in NCR areas.

According to the statement, Mishra also encouraged states to increase their e-bus fleets under the PM eBus Sewa Scheme, which aims to add 10,000 e-buses in the country.

Mishra also urged state governments and law enforcement agencies to strictly enforce bans on firecrackers.

The meeting was attended by senior officials, including the cabinet secretary, the Delhi police chief, and key representatives from various ministries such as environment, agriculture, power, petroleum, road transport, housing and animal husbandry.

Officials from the Central and State Pollution Control Boards and the chief secretaries of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Delhi also took part in the meeting.