‘Green budget’ injects ₹22,236 crore for cleaner air

The allocation includes ₹822 crore for the environment and forest sector — a 62.7% increase from the ₹505 crore pledged last year

New Delhi: Chief minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday announced ₹22,236 crore, which is 21.44% of the Delhi budget, for a cleaner and greener Capital under the Delhi government’s “Green Budget.”

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The allocation includes ₹822 crore for the environment and forest sector — a 62.7% increase from the ₹505 crore pledged last year.

In her budget speech, the CM also announced a carbon credit monetisation scheme, increasing allotments for greening Delhi, improving air quality monitoring, and boosting pollution control measures. “Further, ₹300 crore have been allocated under the ‘pollution control and emergency measures’ scheme, which will procure mechanical sweepers, anti-smog guns and water sprinklers, among other devices,” she said.

“This budget is a commitment to making environmental responsibility the core of governance. Our ”Green Budget” ensures that every policy and every decision is in the interest of both people and the planet,” Gupta said on Tuesday.

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“We have also allocated ₹204 crore for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to boost pollution control measures. A total of ₹2 crore has been allocated just for air quality monitoring systems, such as integrated command and control centre (ICCC), a war room, mobile-app and real-time tracking of pollution data,” she said.

“Additionally, we are working to incorporate advanced technical solutions and monitoring systems through a collaboration with the World Bank. This is being done to develop a better monitoring system,” Gupta said during her budget speech on Tuesday.

“Every policy of this budget has been viewed through a green lens. Every policy incorporates the environment, every scheme incorporates nature, and every decision incorporates concern for future generations,” she stressed.

“We will develop new forest areas and plant indigenous species there. A total of 3.5 million native trees, such as peepal, mango and neem — which act as oxygen banks — will be planted over the next four years,” Gupta added. “We are making Delhi not a concrete jungle but a courtyard of greenery.”

The CM further said that Delhi was taking a big step towards a greener Capital by advancing a carbon credit monetisation scheme. “This scheme will convert emission reduction into economic value. Through a robust measurement, reporting, verification (MRV) system, innovation and sustainability will accelerate in Delhi,” she said.

Gupta said the ₹200 crore allocated for the Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy 2.0 will be a powerful step towards curbing air pollution.

“Purchase and scrap incentives, along with improved charging infrastructure, will collectively lead Delhi towards zero emission mobility,” she said.

Bhavreen Kandhari, an environmental activist welcomed the high allocation on environment, but said it is important for the ‘green’ to move beyond optics and focus on measurable outcomes.

“Token measures like smog guns or isolated waste-to-energy plants are unlikely to deliver impact. What is needed instead are systemic, well funded changes; investment in trained manpower, institutional capacity, modern equipment, and long term operational frameworks. Real environmental progress will come not from quick fixes, but from sustained budgeting that strengthens the underlying systems,” she said.