Delhi to host event at IIT-Delhi to shortlist clean-air technologies

The event will be open to the public, with an expert panel — the Innovation Technical Evaluation Committee (ITEC) — set to shortlist viable and scalable solutions that can help combat Delhi’s air pollution problem.

The Delhi government will host an “innovation showcase” at IIT-Delhi in the last week of December, marking the next stage of the city’s Innovation Challenge, which is aimed at finding scalable technologies to cut particulate pollution, environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said on Thursday.

Officials said the event will be open to citizens, students, alumni and government representatives (Representative photo)

The event will be open to the public, with an expert panel — the Innovation Technical Evaluation Committee (ITEC) — set to shortlist viable and scalable solutions that can help combat Delhi’s air pollution problem.

Senior officials aware of the matter said nearly 300 proposals were screened in the primary round, with shortlisted teams now invited to demonstrate working prototypes before ITEC. The eight-member committee, headed by IIT-Delhi professor Sagnik Dey, includes scientists, professors and subject specialists mandated to identify practical, low-cost and deployment-ready solutions for cutting PM2.5 and PM10 levels in the Capital.

Sirsa said this is the evaluation phase “where ideas will meet reality”, adding that the government wants evidence-based solutions that can swiftly move from trial stage to field deployment.

“We are designing this as a showcase event in full public view, so that Delhi can see, question and support the best clean-air ideas emerging from across the country,” he said.

Officials said the event will be open to citizens, students, alumni and government representatives. “The public will be able to look at innovations as part of a transparent plan to fight Delhi’s pollution issue,” an official said. The move, they added, is meant to deepen trust in how technologies are selected, funded and deployed.

The shortlisted entries cover two broad categories: reducing or capturing particulate emissions from BS-IV or older vehicles, and removing PM2.5 and PM10 from ambient air. Each innovator will make a structured pitch and physically demonstrate their model before ITEC, which will assess technology readiness, cost-effectiveness, legal compliance and adaptability to Delhi’s pollution patterns.

Solutions that meet the required thresholds will proceed to field trials and lab testing, with the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) covering costs as per guidelines. Entries backed by test reports may advance directly to a final integrated review for potential citywide adoption, officials said.

Sirsa said winning projects will be eligible for DPCC incentives, including ₹5 lakh after successful ITEC evaluation and another ₹50 lakh for solutions verified by NPL-equivalent labs and recommended for government use.

Calling the initiative part of a broader clean-air strategy, Sirsa said this was part of the chief minister’s vision for Delhi, and urged the public to attend and support the city’s clean-air mission.