New Delhi: The World Bank has approved two major funding programmes for Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to help tackle severe air pollution while boosting both states’ attractiveness as business and job-creation hubs.
The financing, cleared on December 10, supports the first-ever airshed-based, multi-sector clean air initiatives undertaken by Indian states. “Air pollution is causing severe health impacts, loss of productivity and reduced quality of life across South Asia,” said Paul Procee, Acting Country Director, World Bank India. He added that the programmes would also show how clean air interventions can increase productivity and create green jobs, especially for youth and women.
The Uttar Pradesh Clean Air Management Program (UPCAMP), worth USD 299.66 million, aims to strengthen the state’s transport, agriculture and industrial sectors. It will help 3.9 million households transition to clean cooking and promote greener mobility by deploying 15,000 electric three-wheelers and 500 electric buses in Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi and Gorakhpur. The programme also supports replacing 13,500 polluting heavy-duty vehicles with lower-emission alternatives.
Task team leaders Ana Luisa Lima and Farah Zahir said that by adopting an airshed-based approach, UP can reduce pollution more effectively through coordination with neighbouring states. The programme will also encourage farmers to adopt better fertiliser-use practices, improve livestock waste management, and help MSMEs shift to cleaner technologies.
The second programme, the Haryana Clean Air Project for Sustainable Development, worth USD 300 million, will back the state’s plan to fight air pollution with interventions across key sectors. Haryana will invest in improved air quality and emissions monitoring, expand clean transport options such as electric buses and e-rickshaws in Gurugram, Sonipat and Faridabad, and promote agricultural waste management technologies, including machinery for paddy stubble reuse.
Project leads Sharlene Chichgar, Laghu Parashar and Saumya Srivastava noted that Haryana’s newly established special purpose vehicle, ARJUN, will help coordinate implementation across departments. The project is expected to mobilise over USD 127 million in private capital as it pushes MSMEs toward cleaner production methods.
Both programmes fall under the World Bank’s Regional Air Quality Management Program for the Indo-Gangetic Plains and Himalayan Foothills — one of the world’s worst air pollution hotspots. They will also receive support from the Resilient Asia Program and the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program.
The Uttar Pradesh programme has a maturity period of 10 years with a two-year grace period, while the Haryana programme has a maturity of 23.5 years with a six-year grace period.
