The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change organised Swachh Vayu Diwas 2026 in New Delhi on 7 September 2026 and conferred the 5th Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan Awards. The event marked the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies and recognised cities and wards under the Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan framework.
Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan Framework
Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan is linked to the National Clean Air Programme, which was launched in 2019 for improving ambient air quality in Indian cities. The assessment covers city-level performance on air pollution control measures, monitoring systems, and implementation of clean air actions. The awards are associated with the Central Pollution Control Board and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
City Categories and Scoring
The awards classify cities by population size. Category 1 covers cities with more than 10 lakh population, Category 2 covers cities with 3 lakh to 10 lakh population, and Category 3 covers cities with less than 3 lakh population. Lucknow topped Category 1 with 198 out of 200 points and received a cash prize of ₹1.5 crore. Indore placed second and Jabalpur placed third in the same category. Rourkela topped Category 2 with 198.5 points. Kalinga Nagar secured first place in Category 3. These categories are used to compare cities of different population sizes under a common evaluation structure.
Ward-Level Awards and NCAP Data
The 2026 edition included municipal wards for the first time. Lucknow’s Ward 70 won first place in the category for wards with populations above 30,000, followed by Bhopal’s Ward 60 and Nashik’s Ward 7. The State and Union Territory Ward Level Awards also recognised the Jammu Municipal Corporation in all three population-based categories, with a total cash prize of ₹50 lakh.
Important Facts for Exams
- The International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies is observed on 7 September every year.
- The National Clean Air Programme was launched in 2019 by the Government of India.
- PM10 refers to particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of 10 micrometres or less.
- The Central Pollution Control Board functions under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
Air Quality Monitoring Context
Data presented at the event showed that 108 out of 130 cities monitored under the National Clean Air Programme recorded improvement in PM10 levels between the baseline year 2017–18 and 2025–26. The National Green Tribunal Chairperson, Justice Prakash Shrivastava, presided over the ceremony as Chief Guest, along with MoEFCC Secretary Tanmay Kumar and CPCB Chairperson Amandeep Garg.
