Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan Awards 2026 spotlight NCAP city pollution gains
Big news for clean air!
The Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan Awards 2026 just dropped, spotlighting cities that are making real progress in fighting pollution from things like road dust and vehicle fumes.
These awards are part of the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), which is all about helping cities breathe easier.
NCAP helped 108 cities cut PM10
Lucknow took the crown among India's biggest cities (over 1 million people), with Indore and Jabalpur right behind.
In the mid-sized city group (300,000-1,000,000), Rourkela led the pack, while Kalinga Nagar shined in the smallest category.
On a bigger note, NCAP has helped 108 cities cut PM10 pollution since 2017-18 (26 of them by over 40%)!
14 cities even hit national air quality standards this year. A new guidebook was also released to help more places join the clean-air club.