Why clean air comes at a premium under a central plan to reduce pollution

Last month, the Delhi government announced a 15-point action plan to tackle air pollution during the winter months. Given the problem of stubble burning, one would expect states such as Punjab to spend more to curb air pollution in the cities. But a Business Standard analysis found that Punjab had only spent 11 per cent of the funds allocated to the state under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).

The NCAP is a pollution control initiative aimed at reducing the concentration of particulate matter in the atmosphere by at least 20 per cent by 2024. It was launched in 2019,