MoEFCC utilises 13% of ₹621 crore in environmental protection fund

Rs 138.38 crore has been committed to 24 projects, with Rs 117.2 crore still available for use

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has so far utilised Rs 80.8 crore, or 13 per cent of the total Rs 620.6 crore in the Environmental Protection Charge (EPC) fund. 

As of now, a total of Rs 620.6 crore has been accrued in the National Green Tribunal (NGT) environmental compensation (EC) account, including bank interest of Rs 99.51 crore. Out of this, Rs 80.82 crore has been utilised, while Rs 138.38 crore has been committed towards 24 sanctioned projects and ongoing activities, said Union Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. 

Rs 54 crore has been earmarked as performance grants for FY26 under Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) guidelines for providing gap funding support to 19 NCR cities. At present, Rs 117.2 crore is available for utilisation, the minister informed. 

Environmental compensation funds are collected in compliance with directives issued by the NGT. The utilisation of NGT EC funds stopped after January 21. 

The government launched the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) in 2019 as a national-level strategy to reduce air pollution levels across the country. CPCB identified 130 million-plus and non-attainment cities (cities exceeding National Ambient Air Quality Standards, consecutively for five years).

 

Under NCAP, a total of Rs 13,036.5 crore has been released to 130 million-plus and non-attainment cities from FY20 to July 2020 for implementing various activities to control air pollution, of which Rs 9,209.4 crore has been utilised by urban local bodies.

 

City-specific Clean Air Action Plans have been prepared and rolled out for implementation in all these 130 million-plus cities to improve air quality. These plans target city-specific air polluting sources such as soil and road dust, vehicles, domestic fuel, MSW burning, construction material, and industries, with short-term priority actions as well as those to be implemented in the medium to longer term, along with the concerned agencies.

 

Source apportionment studies conducted in cities under NCAP reveal that dust from road and construction and demolition activities are major sources of PM10, contributing almost 40-50 per cent in most cities.