National Clean Air Programme has been launched by the Central Government in the year

Correct answer: D) 2019. The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) was launched by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in January 2019. It is the first national framework for time-bound, city-wise reduction of particulate pollution.

NCAP sets a target of a 20 to 30 per cent reduction in PM10 concentrations by 2024, using 2017 as the base year. It began with 102 non-attainment cities, later expanded to 131. The key idea is city-specific action plans rather than one uniform national rule.

Why the others fail:

• A) 2018: This was a year of preparatory work and consultations, not the launch.
• B) 2017: This is the base year for measuring reduction, not the launch year. This is the most common confusion.
• C) 2020: Wrong. The Commission for Air Quality Management was set up in 2020 as a separate body, not NCAP.

For Mains, link NCAP to the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, the Environment Protection Act, 1986, and the Centre-state coordination challenge in urban air governance.

Trap: choosing 2017 because the targets are measured against it.