The World Bank has approved funding for the Uttar Pradesh (UP) Clean Air Management Program (UPCAMP) and the Haryana Clean Air Project for sustainable development operations to improve air quality in these states and target 270 million people.
“These programs will also be aimed at further increasing the attractiveness of both states as business destinations and engines of job creation,” the World Bank said in a December 10 report.
The projects are part of the World Bankwith Indo-Gangetic Plains and Himalayan Foothills Regional Air Quality Management Program (IGP-HF). They will also benefit from grants from the World Bank’s Resilient Asia Programme, funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, along with support from a multi-donor energy sector governance assessment programme.
The Uttar Pradesh project has a final maturity of 10 years, including a two-year grace period, while the Haryana initiative has a final maturity of 23.5 years, including a six-year grace period.
Read also | World Bank approves financing for 2 projects in Punjab, Maharashtra
What is UPCAMP?
The Uttar Pradesh (UP) Clean Air Management Program (UPCAMP), with a budget of $299.66 million, will expand the state government’s clean air plan to fund vital sectors such as transport, agriculture and industry to improve air quality for residents.
The initiative aims to help 3.9 million households gain access to clean cooking. It will also promote the use of clean transport by introducing 15,000 electric three-wheelers and 500 electric buses in cities like Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi and Gorakhpur. The project aims to support the state government’s initiative to offer incentives to replace 13,500 polluting HGVs with lower emission vehicles.
Ana Luisa Lima and Farah Zahir, UPCAMP task team leaders, elaborated on the project: “By adopting an ‘airshed’ approach – rather than a city-level solution – Uttar Pradesh aims to reduce air pollution faster and at lower cost by working with other states to control transboundary emissions.”
They added: “Among its initiatives, the program will motivate farmers to adopt best practices to improve the efficiency of fertilizer use and livestock waste management. It will also help small and medium-sized enterprises to switch to cleaner technologies and promote e-mobility in urban centers.”
Read also | Why the IMF and the World Bank are warning India about its financial regulations
What is Haryana Clean Air Project for Sustainable Development Operation?
The $300 million Haryana Clean Air Project for Sustainable Development aims to help the state government’s action plan to reduce air pollution through several sectoral measures. It will fund the implementation of air quality and emissions monitoring systems to strengthen the state’s ability to assess the effects of various sources of pollution.
The project will also fund investments in clean transport, including electric bus and tricycle services in Gurugram, Sonipat and Faridabad. These initiatives aim to improve connectivity and provide better access to job opportunities, especially for women. In addition, the project will support state initiatives to support small and medium enterprises to adopt cleaner technologies and promote machinery and innovation for the productive reuse of agricultural waste, including rice stubble.
Sharing more details about the initiative, Sharlene Chichgar, Laghu Parashar and Saumya Srivastava, project task team leaders, said, “By targeting emissions in key sectors such as transport, agriculture, industry and urban development, this program will also aim to mobilize over $127 million in private capital mobilization.
