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Haryana cabinet clears World Bank-funded ₹3,647-cr clean air project
The Haryana cabinet on Thursday approved the Haryana clean air project for sustainable development (HCAPSD) from 2024-25 to 2029-30 financial year. The HCAPSD is a Haryana government initiative supported by the World Bank and the ₹3,647-crore project aims at improving air quality and reducing emissions across the Indo-Gangetic plain
The Haryana cabinet on Thursday approved the Haryana clean air project for sustainable development (HCAPSD) from 2024-25 to 2029-30 financial year. The HCAPSD is a Haryana government initiative supported by the World Bank and the ₹3,647-crore project aims at improving air quality and reducing emissions across the Indo-Gangetic plain, a region that spans multiple state boundaries.
A government spokesperson said the total proposed budget of the project is ₹3,647 crore and it will be financed through the World Bank’s Programme for Results mechanism.
The project will support the strengthening of air quality management systems in the state, while synergising efforts being undertaken by the Government of India. It will focus on designing and implementing sector-specific air pollution abatement measures and facilitating coordination among Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) states to reduce cross-border emissions. Additionally, the project aims to enhance the ‘ease of living’ for citizens across Haryana’s cities.
Haryana is surrounded by Uttar Pradesh in the east, Punjab in the west, Himachal Pradesh in the north, and Rajasthan in the south. It is one of the states in the Indo-Gangetic Plain that comprises Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, NCT of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal.
“The potential benefits of the project include supporting the piloting and scaling up of state-of-the-art pollution control technologies, which could serve as a model for the rest of India,” the spokesperson said.
“The project is expected to lead to improved air quality in Haryana through emission reductions and positive spillover effects.”
It is a multi-sector initiative led by the department of environment, forests and climate change, in collaboration with the Haryana Pollution Control Board.
The project will be jointly implemented by various departments, including departments of environment and climate change, agriculture, transport, industries and commerce, urban local bodies etc.
It will have a three-tier governing structure to review and monitor the progress of the project. In the top tier, the governing committee chaired by the chief secretary, will review the progress of the project on a quarterly basis. In the second tier, the steering committee will be led by the additional chief secretary (environment). The steering committee will review progress under the project on a monthly basis.
The spokesperson said that to ensure effective and timely implementation of the project, chief principal secretary (to CM) Rajesh Khullar will review the progress of the project from time to time.
The department of environment will hire a full-time programme management unit (PMU) to support all departments in driving the implementation of the project.
A state-wide fellowship programme will be rolled out and 24 ‘clean air ambassadors (one each in all districts and two each in Gurugram and Faridabad) will be on board to create capacity at the district level to drive project implementation.
Haryana cabinet pays tribute to Netaji
Chief minister Nayab Singh Saini said that the framework to implement Lado Lakshmi Yojana for women is being prepared.
Interacting with mediapersons after presiding over the cabinet meeting, which began after floral tributes to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose on the occasion of Parakram Diwas, the chief minister said full details of the Lado Lakshmi Yojana will be provided in the upcoming state budget. He said necessary budgetary provisions will be included before implementing this scheme which is one of the assembly election promises of the BJP government.
Saini said that the promises made by the BJP in the Sankalp Patra are being fulfilled one by one.
Civil judges’ departmental exams
Haryana Cabinet has amended the Punjab Civil Service (Judicial Branch) Rules, 1951 (as applicable to the State of Haryana) regarding the departmental examination of civil judges in Haryana.
Rule-5 of Part-D of this rule has been replaced. Now, according to this Part-D, the departmental examination will be conducted by the high court or any agency or authority nominated by the chief justice. The Cabinet has approved the removal of Part-E of ‘Departmental Examination’. According to earlier provisions, the said departmental examination was conducted by the central committee of examination and all newly appointed civil judges had to pass it within the probation period.
Relief for ex-employees of Confed
Haryana government has decided to waive recoverable amounts from ex-employees of Confed, Haryana Minerals Limited (HML), and Handloom and Export Corporation, in line with the Haryana State Minor Irrigation and Tubewell Corporation (HSMITC), who had availed benefits under the Old Age Samman Allowance Scheme. A decision to this effect was taken in the Cabinet meeting held under the chairmanship of chief minister Nayab Singh Saini.
The state government has approved a fixed monthly honorarium, in place of pension for ex-employees of these three corporations, which ranges from ₹6,000 to ₹20,000 per month, depending on the employee’s classification, and is effective from October 1, 2020, on the same pattern as was given to the employees of HSMITC.
