All Issue

2025 Vol.34, Issue 3

Research Paper

30 September 2025. pp. 321-348
Abstract
This paper analyzes the air pollution reduction effect of the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) launched by the government of India in 2019. In particular, we look at the impact of fund utilization for “non-attainment” cities on air quality improvements in 82 NCAP cities from 2019 to 2023. Using fixed-effects panel regression models, we analyze the relationship between changes in particulate matter (PM10) levels and various predictors, including the lagged use rate of allocated funds. We find that higher utilization rates of allocated funds in the previous year are associated with reductions in PM10 levels, with the effect being statistically significant at the 10% level. Specifically, a one-percentage increase in the lagged use rate correlates with a 0.100-unit decrease in PM10 levels, highlighting the delayed but meaningful impact of effective fund utilization on air quality. These findings underscore the importance of addressing the underutilization of funds to maximize the effectiveness of the NCAP and provide insights on future research directions and policy implications.
본 논문은 인도 정부의 국가청정대기프로그램(NCAP)이 대기질 개선에 미친 영향을 분석한다. 인도 정부는 대기질 기준을 충족하지 못하는 ‘비성취’ 도시에 대한 목표 자금 지원한 바 있어, 각 도시별 예산 활용도를 주요 설명변수로 살펴본다. 이 연구는 2019년부터 2023년까지 82개 NCAP 도시의 대기질 개선 효과 분석을 위해 고정효과 패널 회귀 모델을 사용하여 미세먼지(PM10) 농도의 변화와 할당된 예산의 1년 시차(lag) 간의 관계를 분석한다. 그 결과, 전년도에 할당된 예산의 사용률이 높을수록 PM10 수치 감소와 연관되어 있으며, 그 효과는 10% 유의수준에서 통계적으로 유의하다. 특히, 사용률이 1% 증가하면 PM10 수치가 0.100 단위 감소하는 것으로 나타나 효과적인 예산 활용이 대기질에 미치는 영향이 상당한 것으로 나타났다. 이러한 연구 결과는 NCAP의 효과를 극대화하기 위해 예산 활용률 저조 문제를 해결하는 것이 중요함을 지적하며 향후 연구에서 고려할 요인들을 제기한다.
References
  1. Barnes, J. H., E. T. Hayes, and J. W. S. Longhurst, “Has UK Local Government Action Improved Local Air Quality? A Bristol Case Study,” WIT Press, 2015, pp. 243~258. 10.2495/AIR150201
  2. Beattie, C. I., T. Chatterton, E. T. Hayes, N. Leksmono, J. W. S. Longhurst, and N. K. Woodfield, “Air Quality Action Plans In The UK: An Overview And Evaluation Of Process And Practice,” WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment, Vol. 86, 2006, p.10.10.2495/AIR06050
  3. Beattie, C. I., J. W. S. Longhurst, and N. K. Woodfield, “Air Quality Action Plans: Early Indicators of Urban Local Authority Practice in England,” Environmental Science & Policy, Vol. 5, No. 6, 2002, pp. 463~470.10.1016/S1462-9011(02)00094-1
  4. Bernauer, T., and V. Koubi, “Are Bigger Governments Better Providers of Public Goods? Evidence from Air Pollution,” Public Choice, Vol. 156, No. 3, 2013, pp. 593~609.10.1007/s11127-012-9916-1
  5. Central Pollution Control Board, Amended Guidelines for utilization and release of funds under NCAP, 2022. https://prana.cpcb.gov.in/ncapDashboard/download_public_portal_file/OM_and_Funding_Guidelines.pdf
  6. Central Pollution Control Board, Minutes for Fifteenth Meeting of Implementation Committee for National Clean Air Programme, 2023. https://prana.cpcb.gov.in/ncapDashboard/download_public_portal_file/15th_Implementation_Commiittee_MoM.pdf
  7. Central Pollution Control Board, Portal for Regulation of Air Pollution in Non-Attainment Cities, 2024. https://prana.cpcb.gov.in/#/home
  8. Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), Tracing the Hazy Air 2024: Progress Report on National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), 2024.
  9. Currie, J., and R. Walker, “What Do Economists Have to Say about the Clean Air Act 50 Years after the Establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency,” Journal of Economic Perspectives, Vol. 33, No. 4, 2019, pp. 3~26.10.1257/jep.33.4.3
  10. Dhote, L., P. Sharma, S. Dogra, P. Arulrajan, P. Pandey, A. Kansal, M. Dhiman, A. S. Gautam, and S. Gautam, “Quantifying the Effects of the National Clean Air Programme on Air Quality Parameters in Chandigarh: A Scientific Assessment,” Aerosol Science and Engineering, Vol. 8, No. 1, 2024, pp. 66~76.10.1007/s41810-023-00206-4
  11. Fowlie, M., R. Walker, and D. Wooley, Climate Policy, Environmental Justice, and Local Air Pollution, Brookings Economic Studies, 2020.
  12. Ganguly, T., L. S. Kurinji, and S. Guttikunda, How Robust Are Urban India’s Clean Air Plans?, Council on Energy, Environment and Water, 2020.
  13. Gopikrishnan, G. S., and J. Kuttippurath, “Four Years of National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) in Indian Cities: Assessment of the Impact on Surface Ozone during the Period 2018–2022,” Sustainable Cities and Society, Vol. 101, 2024, 105207.10.1016/j.scs.2024.105207
  14. Guttikunda, S. K., S. K. Dammalapati, G. Pradhan, B. Krishna, H. T. Jethva, and P. Jawahar, “What Is Polluting Delhi’s Air? A Review from 1990 to 2022,” Sustainability, Vol. 15, No. 5, 2023, 4209.10.3390/su15054209
  15. Halkos, G. E., and E. A. Paizanos, “The Channels of the Effect of Government Expenditure on the Environment: Evidence Using Dynamic Panel Data,” Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Vol. 60, No. 1, 2017, pp. 135~157.10.1080/09640568.2016.1145107
  16. He, L., M. Wu, D. Wang, Z. Zhong, “A Study of the Influence of Regional Environmental Expenditure on Air Quality in China: The Effectiveness of Environmental Policy,” Environmental Science and Pollution Research, Vol. 25, No. 8, 2018, pp. 7454~7468.10.1007/s11356-017-1033-8
  17. Huang, J., X. Pan, X. Guo, G. Li, “Health Impact of China’s Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan: An Analysis of National Air Quality Monitoring and Mortality Data,” The Lancet Planetary Health, Vol. 2, No. 7, 2018, pp. e313~e323.10.1016/S2542-5196(18)30141-4
  18. Huang, J. T., “The Influence of Government’s Expenditure in the Environmental Protection on Air Pollution in Taiwan,” The Singapore Economic Review, 2021, pp. 1~13.10.1142/S0217590821500570
  19. Implementation Committee at National Level, Minutes for Sixteenth Meeting of Implementation Committee for National Clean Air Programme, 2024. https://prana.cpcb.gov.in/ncapDashboard/download_public_portal_file/16_IC_MoM_03.05.2024_1716812157333661.pdf
  20. Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), Air Pollution - Level 2 Risk, 2024. https://www.healthdata.org/research-analysis/diseases-injuries-risks/factsheets/2021-air-pollution-level-2-risk
  21. IQAir, 2022 World Air Quality Report, Green Peace, 2022. https://www.greenpeace.org/static/planet4-india-stateless/2023/03/2fe33d7a-2022-world-air-quality-report.pdf
  22. Kapoor, R., V. Limaye, and A. Tiwari, Estimating the Health Benefits from Air Quality Improvements in Ahmedabad, India Under the National Clean Air Programme, European Geosciences Union General Assembly, 2024.10.5194/egusphere-egu24-8285
  23. Krupnick, A., and R. Morgenstern, “The Future of Benefit-Cost Analyses of the Clean Air Act,” Annual Review of Public Health, Vol. 23, 2002, pp. 427~448.10.1146/annurev.publhealth.23.100901.140516
  24. Kuklinska, K., L. Wolska, and J. Namiesnik, “Air Quality Policy in the U.S. and the EU – A Review,” Atmospheric Pollution Research, Vol. 6, No. 1, 2015, pp. 129~137.10.5094/APR.2015.015
  25. Liu, M., D. Wei, and H. Chen, “Consistency of the Relationship between Air Pollution and the Urban Form: Evidence from the COVID-19 Natural Experiment,” Sustainable Cities and Society, Vol. 83, 2022, 103972.10.1016/j.scs.2022.10397235719128PMC9194566
  26. Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change Government of India, National Clean Air Programme, 2019. https://prana.cpcb.gov.in/ncapDashboard/download_public_portal_file/NCAP_Report.pdf
  27. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Government of India, Overview of NCAP and XV-FC MPCCF and Convergence of Central Schemes/Programmes for Air Quality Improvement in Identified Cities, 2023. https://prana.cpcb.gov.in/assets/pdf/NCAPWorkshop/Day-1/TechnicalSession1/1.Overview_Convergence_Session_1_23Nov21.pdf
  28. Mousavinezhad, S., Y. Choi, A. Pouyaei, M. Ghahremanloo, and D. L. Nelson, “A Comprehensive Investigation of Surface Ozone Pollution in China, 2015–2019: Separating the Contributions from Meteorology and Precursor Emissions,” Atmospheric Research, Vol. 257, 2021, 105599.10.1016/j.atmosres.2021.105599
  29. Muhammad, S., Y. Pan, M. H. Agha, M. Umar, and S. Chen, “ Industrial structure, energy intensity and environmental efficiency across developed and developing economies: The intermediary role of primary, secondary and tertiary industry,” Energy, Vol. 247, 2022, 123576.10.1016/j.energy.2022.123576
  30. Neidell, M., and N. Pestel, “Air Pollution and Worker Productivity,” IZA World of Labor, 2023, Article number 363.
  31. Pandey, A., and India State-Level Disease Burden Initiative Air Pollution Collaborators, “Health and Economic Impact of Air Pollution in the States of India: The Global Burden of Disease Study 2019,” The Lancet Planetary Health, Vol. 5, No. 1, 2021, pp. e25~e38.
  32. Ravindra, K., M. K. Sidhu, S. Mor, S. John, and S. Pyne, “Air Pollution in India: Bridging the Gap between Science and Policy,” Journal of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste, Vol. 20, No. 4, 2015.10.1061/(ASCE)HZ.2153-5515.0000303
  33. Samet, J. M., “The Clean Air Act and Health — A Clearer View from 2011,” New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 365, No. 3, 2011, pp. 198~201.10.1056/NEJMp1103332
  34. Somvanshi, A., and A. Roychowdhury, Breathing Space: How to Track and Report Air Pollution Under the National Clean Air Programme, Centre for Science and Environment, 2020.
  35. Suthar, G., R. P. Singhal, S. Khandelwal, N. Kaul, V. Parmar, and A. P. Singh, “Annual and Seasonal Assessment of Spatiotemporal Variation in PM2.5 and Gaseous Air Pollutants in Bengaluru, India,” Environment, Development and Sustainability, Vol. 26, 2023, pp. 20629~20652.10.1007/s10668-023-03495-4
  36. World Bank, The Global Health Cost of PM2.5 Air Pollution: A Case for Action Beyond 2021, 2022.10.1596/978-1-4648-1816-5
  37. World Bank, The World Bank In India, 2023. https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/india/overview
  38. World Health Organization (WHO), WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines: Particulate Matter (PM2.5 and PM10), Ozone, Nitrogen Dioxide, Sulfur Dioxide, and Carbon Monoxide, 2021.
  39. Zeng, Y., Y. Cao, X. Qiao, B. C. Seyler, and Y. Tang, “Air Pollution Reduction in China: Recent Success but Great Challenge for the Future,” Science of The Total Environment, Vol. 663, 2019, pp. 329~337.10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.01.262
  40. Zhang, Q., Y. Zheng, D. Tong, M. Shao, S. Wang, Y. Zhang, X. Xu, J. Wang, H. He, et al., “Drivers of Improved PM2.5 Air Quality in China from 2013 to 2017,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 116, No. 49, 2019, pp. 24463~24469.10.1073/pnas.190795611631740599PMC6900509
Information
  • Publisher :Environmental and Resource Economics Review
  • Publisher(Ko) :자원 · 환경경제연구
  • Journal Title :자원·환경경제연구
  • Journal Title(Ko) :Environmental and Resource Economics Review
  • Volume : 34
  • No :3
  • Pages :321-348