SHIMLA: Himachal Pradesh secures two Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan 2023 Awards at the national level. Parwanoo and Kala Amb towns take first and second place in Category-3 for towns with populations under 3 lakhs.
Cash awards of Rs. 37.50 lakhs and Rs. 25.00 lakhs are presented to Parwanoo and Kala Amb, respectively.
Awards presented by Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, and Shri Bhupendra Yadav, Hon’ble Union Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Govt. of India.
**State Pollution Control Board Recognized**
Sh. Anil Joshi (IFS), Member Secretary of Himachal Pradesh State Pollution Control Board, accepts the awards on behalf of the state.
Sh. Sanjay Gupta (IAS), Chairman of the State Board, commends stakeholders for effective execution of the Action Plan for improving air quality and enforcing pollution control laws.
**Pride in Air Quality Improvement**
Himachal Pradesh expresses pride in securing the top two awards out of 131 non-attainment cities for air quality improvement.
**Appreciation and Commitment**
Sh. Prabodh Saxena, Chief Secretary of GoHP, praises sustained efforts in reducing PM10 concentration.
Pledges continued efforts to improve air quality for a sustainable environment.
**Hope for All Towns**
The state hopes that all seven towns will soon exit categorization under NAC/T(s) with ongoing efforts by stakeholder departments.
**Acknowledgment of Support**
The State Board acknowledges support from the Central Pollution Control Board and MoEF&CC GOI under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).
**National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)**
Launched by MoEF&CC in 2018 to address air quality in 131 Non-Attainment Cities/Towns.
Focuses on containing vehicular emissions, suppressing road dust, controlling industrial pollution, and more.
Himachal Pradesh's achievement reflects its commitment to environmental preservation and fighting air pollution.
