Why in the news?

• The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has announced Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan Awards 2025.

Swachh Vayu Survekshan(SVS) 2025

• What is it?: It is an annual survey conducted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC) under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).
• Goal: Encourage cities to reduce air pollution by creating healthy competition among them, and to evaluate their performance in terms of air quality and pollution control interventions.
• Coverage: 130 cities under NCAP are covered- grouped into 3 categories based upon population.
• Parameters: The survey evaluates cities on eight key parameters, with a total score of 200 marks.
  • The evaluation includes self-assessments by cities, scrutiny by local and central bodies (CPCB etc.), and quantitative measures.
• Key Findings:
  • Indore secured the 1st rank, followed by Jabalpur, Agra and Surat in the million plus population category.
  • Among cities with population 3–10 lakh, Amravati came first.
  • Among under-3 lakh population cities, Dewas (MP) ranked first.
  • PM10 saw a decline in 103 out of 130 cities. For example, Mumbai saw about 44% decline in PM10 compared to 2017-18 baseline.
  • Out of 130, 22 cities reported annual average PM10 concentrations below 60 µg/m³, i.e. meeting the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).
  • Chennai ranked last (41/41) among million-plus cities, with a low score.