 "World Bank approves funds to help UP, Haryana improve air quality")
The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has approved financing for two large-scale clean-air programmes in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. It said the initiatives would support cleaner air, stronger economic growth and wider access to green opportunities in the region.
In its statement on Wednesday, the World Bank said the programmes aimed to help the two states become more attractive business destinations and create new avenues for jobs.
“Air pollution caused severe health impacts, lowered productivity, and reduced the overall quality of life across South Asia,” said Paul Procee, Acting Country Director, World Bank India.
He added that the schemes in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh marked the first time Indian state governments undertook airshed-based and multi-sectoral programmes to address the complex challenge of cutting pollution.
“The programmes also intended to show how clean-air initiatives could improve productivity and create green jobs, especially for young people and women,” he said.
What does the Uttar Pradesh programme include?
The Uttar Pradesh Clean Air Management Programme (UPCAMP), with financing of $299.66 million, sought to build on the state government’s existing Clean Air Plan.
According to the World Bank, the programme was set to help 3.9 million households gain access to clean cooking. It also aims to support cleaner mobility through the planned introduction of 15,000 electric three-wheelers and 500 electric buses in Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi and Gorakhpur.
In addition, the project supported incentives to replace 13,500 polluting heavy-duty vehicles with lower-emission alternatives.
“By adopting an airshed approach – rather than relying on city-level solutions – Uttar Pradesh aimed to cut air pollution faster and at a lower cost by working with neighbouring states to handle transboundary emissions,” said Ana Luisa Lima and Farah Zahir, task team leaders for UPCAMP.
They said the programme intended to reward farmers for better fertiliser use and livestock-waste management. It also aims to help MSMEs shift to cleaner technologies and expand e-mobility in urban centres.
What does the Haryana clean-air project include?
The Haryana Clean Air Project for Sustainable Development Operation, worth $300 million, is aimed at supporting the state’s action plan to reduce air pollution through a multi-sector strategy.
The World Bank said the project backed clean transport options, including electric bus services and electric three-wheelers in Gurugram, Sonipat and Faridabad.
“Recognising clean air as a priority, Haryana adopted a forward-looking model by establishing ARJUN, a special-purpose vehicle, to support coordination, implementation and monitoring across agencies,” said Sharlene Chichgar, Laghu Parashar and Saumya Srivastava, the task team leaders.
Part of a wider regional effort
Both programmes form part of the World Bank’s Regional Air Quality Management Programme in the Indo-Gangetic Plains and Himalayan Foothills, one of the world’s most severe air-pollution hotspots.
They also received grant support from the World Bank’s Resilient Asia Programme, funded by the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Swiss Government’s Agency for Development and Cooperation, and from the multi-donor Energy Sector Management Assessment Program.
The Uttar Pradesh programme carried a final maturity of 10 years, including a two-year grace period, while the Haryana programme carried a final maturity of 23.5 years, including a six-year grace period.