Bengaluru ranks lowest among cities for clean air program spending; Karnataka among worst states: Report

A new report reveals Karnataka is one of the worst states for spending air quality improvement funds, with Bengaluru ranked lowest among 25 cities.

A new report from the Centre for Science and Environment reveals that Karnataka is among the three worst-performing states for spending central government funds allocated for air quality improvement. The report also highlights Bengaluru as the least effective city out of 25 in utilizing funds from the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), according to the Deccan Herald.

The report shows Bengaluru used just 13 per cent of its National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) funds over the past four years. (Representative image)(PTI)

Since its launch in 2019, the NCAP has aimed to enhance air quality in 131 large and medium-sized cities by setting targets and providing financial support. However, Karnataka's performance is poor: it has used only 13 per cent of its Finance Commission grant and around 31 per cent of its NCAP funds.

The report shows that Bengaluru and Nagpur used just 13 per cent of their NCAP funds over the past four years, while cities like Lucknow, Hyderabad, and Greater Mumbai have utilized up to 72 per cent.

Among Karnataka’s cities, Davanagere, Gulbarga, and Hubli-Dharwad are also part of the NCAP. Gulbarga, with only 27 per cent of its funds used, is among the lowest in spending efficiency.

Overall, from over ₹10,000 crore allocated to 131 cities under NCAP and the Finance Commission, only about ₹6,806 crore has been spent. Most of this money went to road dust control, with minimal investment in industrial pollution, vehicle emissions, and biomass burning, the report found.