UPPSC 2020 Prelims GS Paper-I · Question 1 of 150

Correct — D, 2019. The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) was launched on 10 January 2019 by the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC). It was India's first national, time-bound framework to tackle air pollution across the country, initially covering 131 'non-attainment'/Million-Plus cities that failed to meet ambient air-quality standards, with an original target of a 20-30% reduction in PM10/PM2.5 by 2024 (base year 2017).

• (a)2018 — NCAP was announced/consulted around 2018 but was formally launched in January 2019; 2018 is a near-miss trap, not the launch year.
• (b)2017 — 2017 is the base year used for measuring the targeted PM reduction, not the launch year of the programme.
• (c)2020 — By 2020 NCAP was already a year old and being implemented; it was not launched in 2020.

NCAP is a pan-India, city-level clean-air strategy run by the MoEFCC/CPCB. Instead of a single national law, it works through city-specific action plans for 'non-attainment' cities — those whose air quality repeatedly breaches the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) — funding source-apportionment studies, monitoring and mitigation.

The year is easy to confuse because several dates cluster around it: 2017 (the PM base year), 2018 (draft/consultation) and 2019 (actual launch). Anchor to '10 January 2019' and the trap options fall away.

• Launched 10 January 2019 by the MoEFCC
• India's first national time-bound air-quality programme
• Initially covered 102 non-attainment cities (later expanded to 131)
• Original goal: 20-30% cut in PM10/PM2.5 by 2024 (base year 2017); later revised to ~40% by 2025-26

• Confusing the launch year (2019) with the PM base year (2017)
• Assuming NCAP is a legally binding act rather than a programme/scheme

UPPSC/UPSC ask NCAP as a straight 'launch year / launching ministry' current-affairs recall, or pair it with NAAQS/AQI concepts.

No directly related past PYQ was found.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) is implemented by which of the following?

  • (a)Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change
  • (b)Ministry of Health & Family Welfare
  • (c)Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
  • (d)NITI Aayog

  Answer(a) Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change — through the CPCB.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Under NCAP, 'non-attainment cities' are those which:

  • (a)fail to meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards
  • (b)have no air-quality monitoring stations
  • (c)have banned all private vehicles
  • (d)are located above 2,000 m altitude

  Answer(a) fail to consistently meet the NAAQS.