New Delhi, Sep 26 (PTI) The environment ministry has made it mandatory for cities covered under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) to utilize at least 75 per cent of the funds disbursed so far in order to access allocations for the financial year 2025-26.

At a meeting held on August 29, the monitoring committee overseeing the programme's implementation noted that of the total Rs 13,236.80 crore disbursed to 130 cities under NCAP, Rs 769.83 crore (74 per cent) has been utilized.

Launched in 2019, NCAP is India's first national initiative to set clean air targets, aiming for a 40 per cent reduction in particulate pollution by 2026, using 2019–20 as the base year.

Of the cities covered under NCAP, 82 receive direct funding from the Union environment ministry, while 48 cities and urban

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