Title : The Commission for Air Quality Management

Date : Dec 21, 2021

Description :

GS III

 

Topic à Environmental Conservation related issues

 

• About:

 

• The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) is an organisation dedicated to improving air quality.
• In October 2020, the Commission was established by ordinance for the first time.
• To make space for the Commission, the former Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority, or EPCA, was dissolved.
• The Commission will function as a statutory body.
• The Commission will take the place of bodies like the Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan pollution control boards.

 

• Composition:

 

• Chairperson: A government official with the level of Secretary or Chief Secretary will preside over the meeting.
• The chairperson will serve for three years or until he or she reaches the age of 70.
• It will include representatives from a variety of ministries as well as stakeholder states.
• Experts from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), and civil society will participate.

 

• Functions and powers:

 

• It will have the authority to issue directives to these state governments on air pollution issues.
• It will hear as many complaints as it thinks necessary in order to safeguard and improve the air quality in the NCR and surrounding areas.
• It will also establish air pollution control guidelines.
• It will also be responsible for detecting violators, monitoring companies and industries, as well as any other polluting unit in the region, and having the authority to shut them down.
• It will also have the authority to overturn instructions issued by regional state administrations that may violate pollution standards.

 

• Other important elements of the bill include:

 

• The act of stubble burning has been decriminalised, and the section that might lead to jail time has been removed.
• It proposed that anyone who are discovered to be participating in stubble burning, including farmers, pay an environmental restitution cost.

 

• Source à The Hindu à 18/12/21 à Page Number 1

Tags : air quality, air pollution