Context:

• By showcasing India's accomplishments in space technology, the Moon Mission, COVID-19 vaccines, and Vande Bharat trains, the Made in India campaign raised both national morale and technological prowess.
• Despite these advancements, India lags in combating air pollution - a critical environmental and public health challenge, showcasing the dual face of India’s progress.

Air Pollution - A Persistent and Complex Challenge:

• Global rankings and foreign influence:
  • Indian cities frequently rank among the world’s most polluted, according to various studies.
  • It raises the issues of data dependence, climate justice, and unequal climate sanctions on developing nations.
• Underutilisation of domestic resources:
  • Pollution Control Boards often return unspent funds.
  • Disproportionate allocation of resources to elite institutions and foreign-aligned collaborations.

Domestic Research and Institutional Gaps:

• Innovation and missed opportunities:
  • Positive steps: Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), which signals the government’s commitment to strengthening research and innovation with industrial contribution.
  • However, the question is: Why are developed countries, with no direct stake in India’s air quality, so keen on studying it? Why are Indian institutes not leading such research?
• Dependence on foreign data:
  • Shutdown of climate research in the US under the Trump administration highlighted risks of relying on foreign datasets.
  • India’s need: Indigenous polar-orbiting satellites for global data to support local modelling.

India’s Legacy in Air Quality Monitoring:

• Notable initiatives:
  • 1984: National Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAAQMP).
  • 2010: India developed its first indigenous air quality forecasting system - SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research), despite foreign resistance.
  • Delhi’s CNG transition: A landmark policy decision for cleaner urban transport.
  • EV transition: Some Indian states (Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu) are now taking commendable steps towards rapid EV transition.
• Present limitations:
  • SAFAR remains limited to only four cities.
  • Fragmented air quality efforts and lack of coordination among key agencies.

The Way Forward - Building an Integrated Framework:

• Institutional collaboration and scientific strategy:
  • For example, India's world-class agencies like the - Earth System Science Organisation (ESSO) and India Meteorological Department (IMD) - Could collaborate with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) for setting a global benchmark in air quality management and forecasting.
• NARFI - Encouraging collaborative governance: A new model under study - National Air Quality Resource Framework of India (NARFI), must be designed to act as a catalyst for
  • Inter-organisational collaboration,
  • Interdisciplinary research and
  • Evidence-based decision-making.
• Promoting airshed-level pollution management:
  • Airshed management enables region-specific pollution control by considering cross-boundary air flow patterns, enhancing the effectiveness of policy interventions.
  • According to the National Institute of Advanced Studies, rethinking air quality strategies by scientifically integrating broader airshed factors (rather than adopting city-centric approaches) is the need of the hour. 
• Health-centric and food security approach: Future air quality strategies must align with net-zero goals, public health, and agricultural resilience.

Conclusion - Toward Real Atmanirbharta in Air Quality:

• True self-reliance requires leveraging India’s scientific talent, decentralising research and funding, developing indigenous data infrastructure, and creating a unified, science-based knowledge hub.
• India's air quality mission must reflect the same ambition as Make in India - with climate resilience, public health, and national innovation at its core.