Q1 · UPPSC Prelims 2020 · Set A · General Studies

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

A 2018
B 2017
C 2020
D 2019

Correct answer: (d) 2019

Explanation

  1. A

    2018

    (a) 2018. The Union Budget and some preparatory notes spoke of a clean-air mission in 2018, but the National Clean Air Programme itself was not launched that year. Treating the budget mention as the launch year is a common mix-up.

  2. B

    2017

    (b) 2017. No all-India NCAP was rolled out in 2017. City-level pollution work existed, but this flagship MoEFCC programme is later.

  3. C

    2020

    (c) 2020. By 2020 NCAP was already under implementation, with city action plans and funding in motion. 2020 is an implementation year, not the launch year.

  4. D

    2019

    (d) 2019. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change launched NCAP in January 2019 for non-attainment cities, with a time-bound target to cut particulate pollution. That calendar year is the official key; 2018 is only the announcement trail and 2020 is already the working phase.

Summary. Official key is (d) 2019. NCAP is the Centre’s national programme for city air quality, launched by MoEFCC in January 2019. It named non-attainment cities and set a medium-term cut in PM10 and PM2.5. A 2018 budget line is not the launch. 2017 has no such programme, and 2020 is too late. Only 2019 matches the keyed year.