<keyword id="22926019" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="local-emissions" source="keywords">Local emissions</keyword> in most cities covered under the <keyword id="20130277" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="national-clean-air-programme" source="keywords">National Clean Air Programme</keyword> (NCAP) are projected to rise by at least 11% by 2030 compared to 2019 levels, according to a new study. The study, conducted by the think tank Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (<keyword id="22661207" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="CSTEP" source="keywords">CSTEP</keyword>), examined 76 out of the total 131 <keyword id="22926020" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="NCAP-cities" source="keywords">NCAP cities</keyword> over a period of 2.5 years. The findings revealed that only 8 of the 76 cities are likely to achieve a 40% reduction in four major pollutants -- PM10, PM2.5, sulphur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides -- by 2030, compared to their 2019 levels. "Our study shows that most cities covered under the NCAP will not be able to achieve a 40% reduction in local emissions even by 2030," said Anirban Banerjee, project lead at CSTEP. Local emissions are expected to increase by 11 to 45% in the studied cities by 2030, relative to 2019 levels, significantly worsening <keyword id="19900797" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="pollution" source="keywords">pollution</keyword>, the study said. The study estimated the share of the four major pollutants for the base year 2019 and projected their contributions from different sources until 2030. These outcomes were validated against transport and domestic fuel consumption surveys conducted in over 70% of the studied cities. The findings suggest that without targeted interventions, local emissions will likely rise by 2030. The study recommends prioritising targeted interventions for major <keyword id="22926021" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="emission-sources" source="keywords">emission sources</keyword> such as industries, transportation, construction, and open burning in these cities to meet NCAP targets and achieve cleaner air. A portal visualising the study's findings will be launched on Wednesday at the sixth edition of the India <keyword id="20445293" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="clean-air" source="keywords">Clean Air</keyword> Summit (ICAS), a premier conference on air pollution organised by CSTEP, taking place from August 26-30. Launched in 2019, the NCAP is India's first national initiative to set clean air targets, aiming for a 20-30 % reduction in PM10 pollution by 2024, with 2017 as the base year. The revised target is a 40% reduction by 2026, using 2019-20 as the base year.

Local emissions in most NCAP cities to rise by at least 11% by 2030, shows study

<keyword id="22976106" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="indoor" source="keywords">Indoor</keyword> <keyword id="19900550" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="air-pollution" source="keywords">air pollution</keyword> is a bigger <keyword id="21117961" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="health-risk" source="keywords">health risk</keyword> than <keyword id="20543591" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="outdoor" source="keywords">outdoor</keyword> air pollution in India, and sometimes cities are cleaner than nearby villages where <keyword id="22976772" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="household-pollution" source="keywords">household pollution</keyword> is higher, according to the country's two top policy experts. Addressing the India <keyword id="20445293" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="clean-air" source="keywords">Clean Air</keyword> Summit (ICAS) 2024, Principal Advisor, <keyword id="19904190" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ministry-of-Health-and-Family-Welfare" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Ministry of Health and Family Welfare" meta.hostid="83" meta.entityid="Ministry of Health and Family Welfare">Ministry of Health and Family Welfare</keyword>, Soumya Swaminathan said, "Studies done in Delhi have shown that women's average exposure to high levels of <keyword id="20827287" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="black-carbon" source="keywords">black carbon</keyword> (women <keyword id="19895006" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="WHO" source="keywords">who</keyword> are mostly at home) is as much as auto-rickshaw passengers going around outdoor exposed to the ambient air pollution in Delhi, resulting in high systolic blood pressure." "Cities contribute less than 20 per cent to the overall state emissions, wherever they have been assessed, but household emissions predominate, ranging between 20 per cent and 40 per cent. Across the country, we are seeing is that sometimes cities are cleaner than the surrounding villages where household air pollution predominates," she said at the summit organised by think-tank Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy. This builds a strong case for expanding the scope of India's National Clean Air Programme (<keyword id="20133150" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="NCAP" source="keywords">NCAP</keyword>), which currently focuses on non-attainment cities. Air pollution is a major threat to public health and contributes to a significant amount of morbidity as well as mortality. Apart from PM2.5 and PM10, short-lived climate pollutants such as black carbon, methane, ozone, and hydrocarbons have the potential to harm the environment and warm the atmosphere even more than CO2. Black carbon can cause chronic respiratory illnesses, lung cancer, emphysema, pneumonia, asthma, heart disease, and low birthweight. "In terms of reducing our life expectancy, globally, PM2.5 is contributing to about 2.3 years of life lost. Just below that is tobacco. In fact, there's so much attention on tobacco and global frameworks for control, but not the same level of attention has been paid to PM2.5 and certainly not the same level of commitments," Swaminathan said. The impact of air pollution is not limited to public health but has a significant economic cost as well. Recently, the World Bank published a study highlighting that air pollution has resulted in a loss of around USD 8.1 trillion in 2019, which is 6.1 per cent of the global gross domestic product (GDP). "We are always talking about air pollution as a problem but studies also show a strong economic case for action on clean air. There are significant positive consequences to investing in cleaning up the air in terms of the return on investments. We know air pollution is not just bad for our health, but it's also bad for agriculture, because it reduces the sunlight that's reaching the crops and it's bad for our economy or any country's economy as it deters people from coming and living or visiting those places," Swaminathan added. Kalpana Balakrishnan, Director, WHO Collaborating Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, said that the main barrier to shifting to clean cooking fuels that can help reduce household air pollution levels is finance. "If we give free LPG to women for two years, they are unlikely to shift back to biomass cooking even if you remove the subsidies," she said. Through Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) launched in May 2016, more than 100 million households in India received LPG cylinders by the end of March 2023. Studies shows over 50 per cent of the households that received new LPG cylinders under PMUY did not choose to refill it even once. Around a third of the world's population - 2.4 billion people globally (including 500 million people in India) - still lack access to clean cooking solutions. Although the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MOPNG) claims that the country's household LPG "coverage" stands at 99.8 per cent, the National Family Health Survey conducted in 2019-21 (NFHS-5) shows that 41 per cent of the population still cooks on biomass.

Indoor air pollution poses greater health risk than outdoor: Experts

Data from 10 cities across India has shown that monthly PM2.5 and PM10 levels during the summer months breached the annual <keyword id="68804" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="cpcb" source="Orion">CPCB</keyword> safe limits of 40 micrograms per cubic metre and 60 micrograms per cubic metre, respectively, during these months. Ten non-attainment cities - Agra, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, <keyword id="12864" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="chennai" source="Orion">Chennai</keyword>, Delhi, Kolkata, Jodhpur, <keyword id="6358070" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="mumbai" source="Orion">Mumbai</keyword>, Lucknow, and Patna - were selected and average PM2.5, PM10 and NO2 levels were analysed for the months of March, April, May, and June. These cities are all part of the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) by the Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ministry. The CPCB's annual average permissible limits for PM2.5, PM10 and NO2 are 40, 60, and 40 micrograms per cubic metre, respectively. The WHO safe limits are even lower at 5, 15, and 10 micrograms per cubic metre for the three pollutants, respectively. The analysis by Climate Trends, an advocacy think tank working on the issues related to air pollution and climate change, showed that in March this year, except Chennai, all other cities recorded PM2.5 levels above safe limits while 10 cities recorded PM10 levels above safe limits. In April, except Kolkata, all other cities recorded PM2.5 levels above safe limits while in case of PM10, except Chennai, all other cities recorded levels above safe limits. Similarly, in May, only three cities - Bengaluru, Chennai, and Kolkata recorded safe levels of PM2.5 while in the case of PM10, all the cities recorded levels above safe limits. With some parts of the country receiving rains in June, five cities - Agra, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai - saw their PM2.5 levels improve and within the CPCB safety limits. But only three cities - Bengaluru, Chennai and Mumbai - saw PM10 levels less than 60 micrograms per cubic metre during June. Northwest Indian plains have witnessed repeated heat waves since March this year. This resulted in an increased power demand, approximately 75 per cent of which came from coal-powered thermal power plants. "This year was climatologically one of the hottest summers that we have seen in a long time. Extremely hot weather combined with winds has led to the re-suspension of coarse particles which is clearly visible in the high PM10 values across most cities. The rising temperatures during the heat wave also have pushed up the demand for air conditioning resulting in higher coal consumption and hence this is reflected in higher PM2.5 levels," NCAP Steering Committee member S.N. Tripathi said. The westerly winds from <keyword id="45793" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="balochistan" source="Orion">Balochistan</keyword>, central Pakistan, and <keyword id="116169" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="thar-desert" source="Orion">Thar desert</keyword> also carried dust, adding to the PM10 levels. Locally, the prolonged dry spells during the summer months also mean more dust suspension in the air. Adding to the summer woes was the almost nil pre-monsoon showers especially in northwestern plains, which are also the hotspot for some of the highest levels of air pollution. The PM2.5 and PM10 levels were higher this year compared to 2021 in most of the cities during summer. For instance, Delhi's PM2.5 and PM10 levels were higher in 2022 as compared to 2021 across the four months except in the case of PM10 levels in March. Similar was the case in Patna. In both cities, the levels are over five times higher than CPCB standards. These two cities also breached the NO2 safe levels during March and April while Chandigarh breached it in April to June. The NCAP Tracker - a joint project by Climate Trends and Respirer Living Sciences - showed that in April 2022, Delhi did not have a single day when it met the CPCB's 24-hour safe limit of 60 microgram per cubic metre while for Mumbai, there were only nine days when PM2.5 concentration did not breach the safe limits. Bhavreen Malhotra Kandhari, co-founder of Warrior Moms, a citizens' group fighting for better air in the <keyword id="53426" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="ncr" source="Orion">NCR</keyword>, said: "The science is established but we need studies to evaluate the impact of the measures undertaken by the government, especially on ad-hoc policies such as odd-even. A lot of announcements have been made but we need to ensure implementation." SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/stopped-russian-imports-in-april-says-essar-oil/articleshow/92714422.cms">Stopped Russian imports in April says Essar Oil</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/elon-musk-is-confident-that-humanity-will-reach-mars-in-our-lifetime/articleshow/92714414.cms">Elon Musk is confident that humanity will reach Mars in our lifetime</a>

Agra, Bengaluru, Chennai and 7 other cities breached the safe pollution limits

New Delhi, Jun 17 () Honda Cars India on Wednesday said the upcoming version of its mid-sized sedan will come with highest safety rating and offer connected features with Alexa remote capability. The fifth generation City, which is set to be launched next month, will come with BS-VI compliant petrol and diesel powertrains, the auto major said in a statement. "The fifth generation Honda City embodies supremacy in its every detail, ranging from its styling, performance, space, comfort, connectivity and safety," Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL) said. In an industry first move and in line with increasing usage trend of smart devices ecosystem, City is India's first connected car with Alexa remote capability, it added. The Japanese automaker said the new model adheres to ASEAN N-CAP five-star safety rating equivalent. The petrol variants of the new City will come with 1.5-litre powertrain mated with six speed manual and seven speed continuously variable transmission (CVT). The manual trims will return fuel efficiency of 17.8 km/litre while the CVT trims will deliver 18.4 km/litre, the company claimed. The diesel trims, which will come with 1.5-litre engine mated to a six speed manual transmission, will deliver fuel efficiency of 24.1 km/litre, it added. The company said the model will be wider and longest in its segment. Talking about the features, Honda said the vehicle will come with 20.3 cm touchscreen display audio system with smartphone connectivity, sunroof, six airbags, multi-angle rear camera, tyre pressure monitoring system, among others. The first generation Honda City was introduced in India in January 1998, the second generation in November 2003, third generation in September 2008, fourth generation in January 2014 and has cumulatively sold 8 lakh units so far. The model is currently sold in 60 countries with cumulative sales of 40 lakh units globally and is the leading brand of Honda in Asia and Oceania region. MSS RUJ RUJ

All new City to come with highest safety standards, connected features: Honda

New Delhi, Jul 15 () Japanese auto major Honda on Wednesday launched the new version of its mid-sized sedan City in India priced between Rs 10.9 lakh-Rs 14.65 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). The fifth generation version of the popular model, which in its current form is longer and wider than the fourth generation City, comes with BS-VI compliant petrol and diesel powertrains. The 1.5-litre petrol versions with manual transmission are priced at Rs 10.9 lakh, Rs 12.26 lakh, and Rs 13.15 lakh, while the 1.5-litre diesel trims are tagged at Rs 12.40, Rs 13.76 lakh, and Rs 14.65 lakh. The 1.5-litre petrol automatic trims (CVT) on the other hand are priced at Rs 12.20 lakh, Rs 13.56 lakh and, Rs 14.45 lakh (all prices ex-showroom Delhi). The model, which will compete with the likes of Hyundai Verna, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz and Skoda Rapid, now features smart devices ecosystem including Alexa remote capability and 32 connected features as standard feature across all variants with a five-year free subscription. The company said it will also continue to sell the BS-VI compliant fourth generation City along with the new version. "City is synonymous with Honda brand in India. It is the most important model for us," Honda Motor India Ltd (HCIL) President and CEO Gaku Nakanishi told . Being a pillar of the company's business in India for the last 22 years, the company expects the new City to bring in more volumes as compared to the last versions, he added. The company has sold 40 lakh City units cumulatively across the globe till date with around 8 lakh units in India. Each generation of the City has raised the bar on design, technology, quality, driving pleasure, comfort and safety, and has come with several industry firsts or segment first features, Nakanishi said. "Our vision has been to offer our customers with a new value that is unprecedented in the history of City and we are confident that the All New City will create fresh excitement in the mid-size sedan segment," he added. Besides domestic market the company is also looking to enhance exports of the City to new markets, including left-hand car regions. "Regarding City, we are looking at expanding the export volume. We are looking to more than doubling the overseas shipments," Nakanishi said. In 2019-20, the company exported around 3,800 units from India mainly to South Africa and some neighbouring countries. Elaborating further HCIL Senior Vice President and Director Sales and Marketing Rajesh Goel said the exports will begin later this year and new destinations will be covered with the new City. "We can't disclose the export markets right now as all have their own launch plans. What we can tell that is that we are also going to start the export of left-hand cars," he noted. Commenting on the domestic market, Goel said: "We know SUV segment is growing here but with Civic we saw that it revitalised the segment in which it is offered, sales jumped. So, we are hoping that with City we will achieve similar results in the mid sized sedan segment". When asked about the logic of continuing the sales of fourth generation City with with the new version, Goel said the earlier version is also BS-VI compliant and has contemporary design language. "We want to give broader choice to customers," he noted. The BS-VI petrol trims of the fourth generation City are priced between Rs 9.91 lakh-Rs 14.31 lakh. Goel said the new City could be produced at both its Greater Noida and Tapukara (Rajasthan) plants and is currently being rolled-out of the former. "Later, we can also roll it out from the Tapukara facility," he said. The new City has been developed at Honda R&amp;D Centre located in Tochigi, Japan, following extensive market surveys in India, ASEAN countries and other markets for peoples driving needs and lifestyles. The company said the sedan now comes with ASEAN N-CAP 5 Star equivalent safety rating and many first in class segment features like full LED headlamps, 17.7 cm HD full color TFT meter with G-meter, lane watch camera, vehicle stability assist (VSA) with agile handling assist (AHA) among others. The petrol variants of the new City will come with 1.5-litre powertrain mated with six speed manual and seven speed continuously variable transmission (CVT). The manual trims will return fuel efficiency of 17.8 km/litre while the CVT trims will deliver 18.4 km/litre, the company claimed. The diesel trims, which will come with 1.5-litre engine mated to a six speed manual transmission, will deliver fuel efficiency of 24.1 km/litre, it added. Honda said the vehicle will come with 20.3 cm touchscreen display audio system with smartphone connectivity, sunroof, six airbags, multi-angle rear camera, tyre pressure monitoring system, among others. HCIL said it will start deliveries of the petrol variants of the model immediately across the country while the deliveries for the diesel variants would begin from next month. The car offers low cost maintenance with service interval of one year or 10,000 km whichever is earlier, it added. The City model is currently sold in 60 countries, The first generation Honda City was introduced in India in January 1998. MSS RUJ RUJ

Honda drives in all new City in India priced at Rs 10.9 lakh

New Delhi: <keyword id="19895063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="India" source="keywords">India</keyword> recorded a significant 19.3 per cent drop in <keyword id="22945131" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="particulate-pollution" source="keywords">particulate pollution</keyword> in 2022 compared to 2021, the second-highest reduction in the world after Bangladesh, adding an average of 51 days to the <keyword id="20188311" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="life-expectancy" source="keywords">life expectancy</keyword> of every citizen, according to a new report. The annual report, "<keyword id="22945132" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Air-Quality-Life-Index" source="keywords">Air Quality Life Index</keyword>" 2024, by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) also said that Indians are likely to lose 3.6 years of life expectancy if the country fails to meet the World Health Organisation's annual PM2.5 concentration standard of 5 micrograms per cubic metre. The researchers attributed the decline in particulate levels in India and other South Asian countries primarily to favourable meteorological conditions and a reduced number of thermal inversions -- when a layer of warm air traps cooler air near the ground, causing pollution to build up. <keyword id="22945133" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="PM2-5-concentrations" source="keywords">PM2.5 concentrations</keyword> in India in 2022 were around 9 micrograms per cubic metre, 19.3 per cent lower than 2021. The most significant declines were observed in Purulia and Bankura districts of West Bengal, followed by Dhanbad, Purbi, Paschim Singhbhum, Paschim Medinipur and Bokaro districts in Jharkhand. In each of these districts, PM2.5 concentrations dropped by over 20 micrograms per cubic metre. The report said that the northern plains, the most polluted region in India, saw a 17.2 per cent reduction in particulate levels in 2022 compared to 2021. However, despite this improvement, the average resident in this region is still likely to lose about 5.4 years of life expectancy if the current pollution levels persist. On the other hand, if the decline in particulate levels continues at the same rate in the coming years, life expectancy in the northern plains could increase by 1.2 years, it said. "The report clearly shows that even a modest reduction in air pollution levels could lead to increased life expectancy. Air pollution, even at low levels, significantly shortens lives and poses serious public health risks. "Our current national air quality standards fall short of protecting public health and must be revised in line with World Health Organisation guidelines. We have the tools and technologies to solve the air pollution crisis, what we need now is the political will to implement them," said Avinash Chanchal, Campaign Manager, Greenpeace India. The report said that PM2.5 concentrations declined by 19 per cent on average in districts with cities covered by India's flagship programme on air quality management, the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), while districts not covered by the programme saw a 16 per cent decline. However, barring Dhanbad, none of the districts with the highest decline in PM2.5 concentrations are covered by the NCAP framework. Launched in 2019, the NCAP is India's first national effort to set clean air targets, aiming for a 20-30 per cent reduction in particulate pollution by 2024, using 2017 as the base year. The revised target is a 40 per cent reduction by 2026, with 2019-20 as the base year. The programme covers 131 non-attainment cities, which consistently failed to meet the prescribed national ambient air quality standards between 2011 and 2015. "As of 2022, pollution in districts with non-attainment cities has declined by 18.8 per cent relative to 2017, adding 10.8 months to the life expectancy of 446.7 million residents of these districts and four months to India's national average life expectancy," the report said. If India meets the NCAP target, residents in non-attainment areas could see their life expectancy increase by two years compared to 2017. India's national average life expectancy would also increase by an additional 7.8 months as a result, it said. The EPIC team emphasised that in India, where the annual PM2.5 standard is 40 micrograms per cubic metre, more than 40 per cent of the population breathes air that exceeds this standard. However, India is responding by implementing innovative policies. In 2019, Gujarat launched the world's first market for particulate pollution, which has since reduced pollution by 20-30 per cent in Surat and is rapidly expanding to other cities and states. These types of innovative policies demonstrate that it is possible to achieve improvements in air quality and people's health, without unduly impeding economic growth, the researchers said. The report also praised India's clean cooking programme, the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, saying that the decline in emissions from the residential sector in India can largely be attributed to the nationwide rollout of this scheme. It attributed the reduction in transport-related emissions to the decreased use of diesel in the transport sector.

India saw 19.3% drop in particulate pollution in 2022, adding 51 days to life expectancy: Report

<keyword id="19895063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="india" source="keywords">India</keyword>, consistently home to many of the world's most polluted cities, continues to battle a daunting <keyword id="55910" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="air-pollution" source="Orion">air pollution</keyword> crisis that barely requires any introduction. In <keyword id="19900881" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="delhi" source="keywords">Delhi</keyword>, pollution levels often soar past safe limits, sometimes eclipsing nearly 20 times the <keyword id="19902256" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="world-health-organisation" source="keywords">World Health Organisation</keyword>'s recommended guidelines. More than just a straightforward impact on the residents' physical health, scientists have always worried that the toxic <keyword id="68139" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="smog" source="Orion">smog</keyword> could be finding its way to our brain and altering its chemistry, effectively impacting our mental well-being as well. And now, a new study might just have confirmed these concerns. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Pollution down, suicides down" comment="subhead" text="Pollution down, suicides down">Pollution down, suicides down</cmsannotation> Just like India, <keyword id="19894886" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="china" source="keywords">China</keyword> shares in the notoriety for its heavily polluted cities. However, the launch of air pollution mitigation policies helped the nation achieve something expected: a sizeable decline in <keyword id="6356238" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="suicide" source="Orion">suicide</keyword> rates. While factors like rising incomes and cultural shifts likely contributed, a new study has exposed the first significant link between air quality improvements and suicide prevention. China launched its ambitious Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan in 2013. This plan tackled industrial emissions and vehicle pollution, and focused on the country’s transition to cleaner energy sources like natural gas and renewables. The plan's success quickly became evident in both improved air quality and declining suicide rates. Between 2010 and 2021, the annual suicide rate dropped by over 50%, from 10.88 to 5.25 per 1,00,000 people. These findings align with previous research suggesting fine particulate matter — <keyword id="6473846" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="pm2-5" source="Orion">PM2.5</keyword> in particular — can directly affect brain chemistry and <keyword id="6354774" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="mental-health" source="Orion">mental health</keyword>, potentially leading to emotional dysregulation and suicidal ideation. In fact, researchers estimate that roughly 10% of China's recent decline in suicides can be attributed to improved air quality. This translates to nearly 46,000 suicide deaths prevented between 2013 and 2017 due to the clean air initiative. It may also be important to note that while there was a clear spike in suicide rates following bad air quality events, this effect did not persist beyond a week. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="India’s struggles with air quality and suicides" comment="subhead" text="India’s struggles with air quality and suicides">India’s struggles with air quality and suicides</cmsannotation> While the study focuses on China, its findings are quite relevant worldwide and especially to our country. Data from the Global Burden of Disease showed that India's annual average PM2.5 exceeded the WHO's safe limit by a whopping 16 times in 2019. Meanwhile, suicide rates seem to be on the uptick in India as well. NCRB and Lancet study data showed that the country reported the highest number of suicides in the world in 2021. Since then, several studies have examined the public and health burden of poor air quality on Indian residents. A <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(22)00090-0" data-type="tilCustomLink">2022 Lancet study</a> linked pollution to 2.3 million premature deaths in India in 2019. However, research directly correlating suicide rates with the country’s pollution woes remains non-existent, and thus, no clear connection can be drawn at the moment. Nevertheless, India has also launched initiatives to combat air pollution, including the <keyword id="20130277" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="national-clean-air-programme" source="keywords">National Clean Air Programme</keyword> (NCAP) aimed at reducing PM2.5 concentrations by 20-30% by 2024. While progress has been made, significant efforts are still needed to achieve clean air, potentially leading to positive impacts on public health, including overall mental well-being. "While there remain many open questions regarding the connections between air quality, mental health and suicide, this analysis adds urgency to calls for pollution control policies across the globe," the paper reads. The findings of this research have been published in Nature Sustainability and can be accessed<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-024-01281-2" data-type="tilCustomLink"> here</a>.

Bad air might indirectly be a major culprit behind suicide-related spike, Chinese study finds

New Delhi, Feb 1 (PTI) The proposal to issue green bonds in the Union Budget 2022-23 announced on Tuesday to mobilise resources for green infrastructure and the stress on energy transition to combat climate change, have won the government praises from environmental experts who said the initiatives will help reduce the carbon footprint of India. Experts hailed the budget for its focus on sustainable urban planning and mass transport saying the high-level committee of urban planners, economists and setting up institutions for capacity building is a welcome step. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2022-23 on Tuesday while announcing several climate action initiatives like energy transition, issuing of green bonds, sustainable urban planning and others. Dr Anjal Prakash, Research Director and adjunct Associate Professor at the Bharti Institute of Public Policy, Indian School of Business, said that for climate action, "this budget fairs quite well." "The focus on sustainable urban planning and mass transport is a welcome step. It is estimated that half of Indians will be living in urban areas by 2050. The high-level committee of urban planners, economists and setting up institutions for capacity building is a welcome step. I hope that the planners will recommend urban infrastructure to be climate-resilient as many Indian cities are prone to climate-related risks and disasters," he said. Prakash, who is also the lead author of the chapter on cities, settlements, and critical infrastructure and a cross-chapter paper on mountains as part of IPCC's 6th Assessment cycle, also said that the green bonds will help reduce India's carbon intensity. "Announcing a climate action fund is a welcome step where the government's share is a maximum of 20 per cent and the rest is by the private parties. The Green Bonds for mobilising green infrastructure will be used for projects that will help reduce India's carbon intensity. The allocation for renewable energy and energy storage technologies such as solar modules are another area that needs applause," he said. Sharing a similar view, Chirag Gajjar, Head of Subnational Climate Action, Climate Program, World Resources Institute India (WRI India), said that access to green bonds will enable local governments to cost-effectively finance basic public infrastructure projects that will lead to climate co-benefits. Focus must be on building capacity of local governments to access such finance avenues, he said. Another expert said that India will now join a select group of countries, primarily European, which have issued Green Bonds. "The budget proposal to issue sovereign green bonds has several benefits, principal among which is signalling the country's seriousness in pursuing climate action. "India will now join a select group of countries, primarily European, which have issued such bonds. We can also expect this move to catalyse the development of the domestic corporate green bond market," said Gagan Sidhu, Director, Council on Energy, Environment and Water-Centre for Energy Finance (CEEW-CEF). In her budget speech, the finance minister announced that as a part of the government's overall market borrowings in 2022-23, sovereign Green Bonds will be issued for mobilizing resources for green infrastructure. "The proceeds will be deployed in public sector projects which help in reducing the carbon intensity of the economy," Sitharaman said. Lauding the move, Aarti Khosla, Director, Climate Trends, said that the mention of green bonds as part of overall market borrowings is a good step to raise funds for projects ear- marked as green infrastructure. Khosla also said that the budget strongly acknowledged climate change and clean energy transition, adding that it all needs to be placed properly in policy and regulation. "It was perhaps the first Union Budget to acknowledge climate action in it's opening statement. The budget seemed to acknowledge clean energy transition as a fundamental principle- there was mention of clean tech solutions, battery swapping policies, improving EV efficiency, finalising the Rs 19500 cr PLI scheme for solar as a way to move ahead on low carbon strategy," Khosla said. Ulka Kelkar, Director, Climate, World Resources Institute India (WRI India), said that by referring to climate action as a sunrise sector and employment generator, the Budget has sent an important signal to markets, financial institutions and the workforce. "Biomass pellets, energy efficient buildings, coal gasification and agroforestry are just the start of the transition to a carbon-neutral economy. The upcoming green hydrogen mission and circular economy action plans can initiate a deep shift towards industrial decarbonization," Kelkar said. S N Tripathi, Steering Committee Member, National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), said that by fundamentally focusing on clean and sustainable development, the budget has focused on three major sectors: transport, energy and agriculture with an aim to reduce both- carbon dioxide and air pollution emissions - which augur well for clean air programs in the short term and achieving carbon neutrality in the long term. However, Vibhuti Garg, Energy Economist, Lead India, Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, said the announcements seem to have fallen short of promoting clean energy in an accelerated manner. PTI AG RCJ RCJ

Budget: Env experts hail proposal to issue green bonds to mobilise resources for green infra

<ul><li>With the rising demand for cheaper cars, Indian automakers have offered their best products at a lower cost.</li><li>At Business Insider, we have compiled a list of the top 5 cars under ₹10 lakh in the Indian market.</li><li>Tata Nexon, Renault Kiger, Hyundai venue Mahindra XUV 300 and Maruti Brezza are some of the best choices for Indian consumers to purchase SUVs under 10 Lakhs</li></ul>India is a price-sensitive market. Recently, the Indian car market has seen great demand for cheaper cars. However, automakers have tried their best to offer better products at a lower cost. From Tata’s Nexon to Renault’s Kiger, Mahindra’s XUV 300 to Maruti’s Brezza, companies have launched a range of models to meet end-customer demand. Business Insider has compiled a comprehensive list of the top 5 cars priced below ₹10 lahks in the Indian market, providing valuable insights for buyers looking for the best value for their money. Check out the top 5 cars under ₹10 lakh in India: Tata Nexon <div type="image" title="Tata Nexon" msid="99113007" hostid="261"></div> Tata Nexon is a feature-packed budget SUV car. It is the first Indian car to get a five-star safety rating from NCAP. Nexon is available in petrol and diesel and has two transmission options — manual and automated manual transmission (AMT). Tata Nexon’s price starts from ₹7.7 lahks and goes up to ₹14 lakh rupees (ex-showroom). Nexon offers a variety of features like 350 liters boot space, dual front airbags, height-adjustable seatbelts, and much more. For those searching for a safe and reliable SUV at an affordable price point, the Tata Nexon is a top contender in the Indian car market. Renault Kiger <div type="image" title="Renault Kiger" msid="99113115" hostid="261" sizebytes="22362"></div> Renault launched the Kiger just a few years back during the Covid era, and since then, Kiger has been one of the top-selling SUVs under 10 Lakh. The SUV is priced between ₹6.5-11.23 lakh (ex-showroom). Kiger competes with the likes of the Maruti Vitara Brezza, Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon, Mahindra XUV300, and Nissan Magnite. The SUV has premium features such as a twin-slat chrome grille, tri-LED headlights, LED daytime running lights (DRLs), 16-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, 8-inch touchscreen infotainment compatible with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, among others. Hyundai Venue <div type="image" title="Hyundai Venue" msid="99113192" hostid="261" sizebytes="44192"></div> Hyundai has recently launched Venue’s facelift model. The venue offers sporty looks and is filled with features like Android Auto &amp; Apple Carplay, Reclining Rear Seats, Onboard Voice Commands, Smart electric sunroof. Hyundai Venue is priced at Rs.7.68 - 13.11 Lakh (ex-showroom). The venue is available in petrol and diesel variants with IMT transmission. Anyone looking for an SUV with a premier touch and feel can look for Hyundai Venue. Mahindra XUV 300 <div type="image" title="Mahindra XUV 300" msid="99113319" hostid="261" sizebytes="143462"></div> Mahindra has also recently launched a new variant of its XUV300 with a 1.2L mStallion TGDi petrol engine, which offers a new turbocharged engine. The SUV has decent features such as dual-zone climate control, automatic headlamps and wipers, steering modes, a rear parking camera, front parking sensors, and a sunroof. Mahindra's XUV300 (ex-showroom) price starts at Rs.8.41 lakh and goes up to 14.07 Lakh. Maruti Brezza <div type="image" title="Maruti Brezza" msid="99113391" hostid="261" sizebytes="134040"></div> The Brezza has been one of Maruti's best-selling cars. The company also launched a facelifted model of the Brezza just a few months ago. The car demand is so high that in some cities, the Maruti Brezza has a waiting period of 6 months. The car offers a range of features, such as a 7-inch Smartplay Studio Touchscreen that supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Maruti's Vitara Brezza price starts at ₹8.19 lakh and goes up to ₹14.04 lakh.

Five best SUVs under ₹10 lakh in India – premium feel in an affordable package

New Delhi, Apr 11 () The pollution level in India's five most-polluted cities, which are also in the top 10 globally, came down by over 50 per cent during the first 10 days of the lockdown imposed to combat COVID-19 outbreak, a new Greenpeace India analysis has found. The study, released on Saturday, said these five cities -- Ghaziabad, Delhi, Noida, Greater Noida, Gurgaon -- witnessed a drop of over 50 per cent in their PM 2.5 concentration since March 24, when the nationwide lockdown was announced. Particulate matters PM 2.5 are one of the primary reasons for health risks such as cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, and lung cancer. The analysis also said that strict implementation and inclusion of all non-attainment cities under the National Clean Air Program (NCAP) is crucial to address long-term air pollution problems. The Greenpeace India report, which has also analysed Central Pollution Control Board data, said the PM 2.5 concentration level was down by 57.64 per cent in the national capital, by 65.75 per cent in Ghaziabad and 56.04 per cent in Gurgaon, among others. "We can only use the COVID-19 outbreak as a lesson to mankind and once we pass the crisis, the country needs a coordinated and consistent action plan to address major sources of pollution that exist throughout the year to ensure a healthy planet for all," said Avinash Chanchal, Senior Campaigner, Greenpeace India. Earlier this year, a report titled "World Air Quality Report 2019", published by IQ Air Visuals, revealed that five out of the top 10 most-polluted cities are located in India. "Ghaziabad, which happened to be the most polluted city in the world, according to the report has witnessed 65.75 per cent reduction in PM 2.5 concentration from March 24 to April 4. "Similarly, Delhi's PM 2.5 dropped by 57.64 per cent, Noida by 65.10 per cent, Gurugram by 56.04 per cent and Greater Noida by 68.83 per cent," the NGO report said. Comparing these figures to 2019 data, the report said that last year during the same time period the air quality ranged between "Moderate" to "Unhealthy" and this year it has now been observed to be fairly "Good". "Surprisingly, the cities which earlier fared among the top polluted ones, their air quality has been recorded to be below the prescribed National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) of 60 micrograms per cubic meter (μg/m3). However the air quality of these cities are still much higher than the prescribed WHO standards of 25 μg/m3," it said. According to the 'Toxic air: The Price of Fossil Fuels' report released in February, air pollution from fossil fuel-related PM2.5 is attributed to an estimated 669,000 premature deaths each year in India. In March a collective of doctors, The Doctors For Clean Air (DFCA), warned that people with compromised lung function could possibly have serious complications if infected by COVID-19. The analysis said that human activities such as burning fossil fuels, transport, and the energy sector contribute significant quantities of particulate matter in cities and this can change by transitioning from fossils to renewables. "The post Covid -19 government investment should focus on sustainability from the environmental perspective to protect the public health," said Chanchal. "Although we are witnessing a reduction in PM 2.5 across the cities because of the temporary slowdown of economic activities, we are aware that blue skies are unintended outcomes of the lockdown and it has come at the expense of a huge crisis that many are bearing the brunt of. "This reduction in air pollution is temporary. It is worth noting that despite the lockdown, these most polluted cities are still not meeting the WHO prescribed air quality standards, which clearly means that we need a comprehensive study of sources of pollutants," he added. Recently, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) released a report on effect of 'Janata Curfew' on the air quality in which it found that the reduction in number of on-road vehicles, resulted in up to 51 per cent reduction in nitrogen oxide (NOx) levels and 32 per cent reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) levels during March 22-23, 2020 as compared to March 21. AG TIRTIR

Unintended lockdown benefit: Study says PM 2.5 down by over 50% in Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Gzb

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57410f4391058425008c442c-1707/renault-kwid-i1.jpg" alt="Renault Kwid crash test" data-mce-source="Global NCAP" data-mce-caption="A Renault Kwid in a crash test conducted by the Global New Car Assessment Program (Global NCAP)." data-link="http://www.globalncap.org/zero-stars-for-all-cars-in-latest-global-ncap-crash-tests/" /><a href="http://www.globalncap.org/zero-stars-for-all-cars-in-latest-global-ncap-crash-tests/">Global NCAP</a>A Renault Kwid in a crash test conducted by the Global New Car Assessment Program (Global NCAP).</div></div></div>Stocks continued their volatile streak on Tuesday, selling off substantially throughout the day and giving back <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/stocks-soar-dow-gains-240-heres-what-you-need-to-know-2016-9">all Monday's gains.</a>All three major indexes fell substantially, ending the day near their lows. Tuesday marked the third straight day that the S&amp;P 500 moved by 1% in either direction, after 43 straight days of not doing so.We have all the major market headlines, but first, the scoreboard:<ul><li>Dow: 18,066.75, -258.32,(-1.41%)</li><li>S&amp;P 500: 2,127.02, -32.02, (-1.48%)</li><li>Nasdaq: 5,155.25, -56.63, (-1.09%)</li><li>WTI crude oil: $45.48, -1.36, (-2.90%)</li><li>10-year yield: 1.734%, (+0.062)</li></ul><ol><li><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/saudi-arabia-top-oil-producer-again-beating-us-2016-9">Saudi Arabia is once again the largest oil producer in the world.</a> After being supplanted by the US in 2014, the International Energy Agency's report released on Tuesday showed that the Saudis are once again the largest producers.</li><li><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/median-household-incomes-just-rose-first-time-since-2007-2016-9">The median household income in America increased for the first time since 2007.</a> A report released by the US Census Bureau on Tuesday showed that median real household income increased by 5.2% for all American families in 2015. This is the first increase since the financial crisis.</li><li><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-stock-rises-strong-iphone-7-reviews-2016-9">iPhone 7 sales are exceeding expectations.</a> Two carriers, Sprint and T-Mobile, said that pre-sales are above projections. The stock was up 2.5% for the day following the news.</li><li><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/atlanta-fed-president-dennis-lockhart-is-stepping-down-2016-9">Atlanta Fed President Dennis Lockhart announced he is stepping down</a>. The regional Fed president said he will be leaving the branch on February 28, 2017 and no replacement has been named yet.</li><li><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/it-keeps-getting-worse-for-wells-fargo-2016-9">Wells Fargo is fighting back against mounting problems.</a> CFO John Stumpf defended the bank in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, while CFO John Shrewsberry said at a conference that "people apparently were making bad choices to hang on to their job."</li><li><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/stock-picks-panel-at-delivering-alpha-conference-2016-9">Some of the biggest hedge fund managers in the world presented their best ideas.</a> Ray Dalio, Paul Singer, Jim Chanos, and more presented at CNBC's Delivering Alpha conference. Their ideas included <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/jim-chanos-short-tesla-2016-9">shorting Tesla</a> (a long-time Chanos position) and going long the S&amp;P 500.</li></ol>Additionally:<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/bank-of-america-merrill-lynch-survey-says-stocks-bonds-are-overvalued-2016-9">Fund managers thinks stocks haven't been this overvalued since the tech bubble</a><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/jpmorgan-chase-gordon-smith-millennials-spending-patterns-2016-9">There's a big difference between how millennials and their parents spend money</a><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/this-is-why-hedge-funds-have-few-women-investing-for-them-2016-8">Something is missing from the hedge fund industry</a><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/jpmorgan-gordon-smith-on-auto-lending-2016-9">Auto lending is setting off alarm bells</a><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/income-divergence-for-metropolitan-and-non-metro-households-2016-9">Big cities are doing better than rural areas</a><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/foreign-buyers-missing-from-us-treasury-market-2016-9">Here's why bond yields could go even higher from here</a> <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/paul-krugman-obamacare-done-cheap-struggling-2016-9">KRUGMAN: Obamacare was done 'on the cheap' and now it is struggling</a></h3> <div> <div> <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="t4YzhxNTE6I-iziXtGn3nAAMiRunrI_x" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> <script> if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; } RunFunctions.push(function() { var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 't4YzhxNTE6I-iziXtGn3nAAMiRunrI_x',{ autoplay: 'false' }); }); </script> <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div> </div> <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script> </div>

You Searched For "NCAP cities" and got 11 results

Local emissions in most NCAP cities to rise by at least 11% by 2030, shows study

PTI

Indoor air pollution poses greater health risk than outdoor: Experts

PTI

Agra, Bengaluru, Chennai and 7 other cities breached the safe pollution limits

IANS

All new City to come with highest safety standards, connected features: Honda

PTI

Honda drives in all new City in India priced at Rs 10.9 lakh

PTI

India saw 19.3% drop in particulate pollution in 2022, adding 51 days to life expectancy: Report

PTI

Bad air might indirectly be a major culprit behind suicide-related spike, Chinese study finds

Ankush Banerjee

Budget: Env experts hail proposal to issue green bonds to mobilise resources for green infra

PTI

Five best SUVs under ₹10 lakh in India – premium feel in an affordable package

BI India Bureau

Unintended lockdown benefit: Study says PM 2.5 down by over 50% in Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Gzb

PTI

STOCKS GET SLAMMED, DOW FALLS 250: Here's what you need to know

Bob Bryan