Narendra Modi launched National Air Quality index to monitor pollution level in 10 cities

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 6 April 2015 launched a National Air Quality Index (NAQI) to tackle the menace of air pollution. This National Air Quality Index will provide information on the quality of air in 10 major cities in the country on a real-time basis.

The ten cities where the quality of air can be monitored are Delhi, Agra, Kanpur, Lucknow, Varanasi, Faridabad, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Bangalore and Ahmedabad.

Later the index will be extended to 22 State capitals and 44 other cities with a population exceeding one million.

The index was launched before the inauguration of the Conference of State Environment and Forest Ministers in New Delhi. The conference is being attended by state environment and forest ministers.

The national conference aims at consulting states on making changes in existing laws that govern environment and forest clearances.