Angul, Sept 10: Angul has secured an impressive 3rd place in Category-3 (cities with a population under 3 lakh) in the Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan 2025, a key initiative under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). The results were announced by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) during a national awards ceremony held in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Angul earned a remarkable score of 191 out of 200, recognized for its dedicated efforts to enhance road infrastructure and its comprehensive public awareness campaigns on air quality and environmental issues. As part of the award, the city received a cash prize of ₹12.5 lakh, which was accepted by municipal representatives at the ceremony.
Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav congratulated Angul and other winning cities for their innovation and commitment to improving air quality. He commended Angul’s consistent performance in the Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan, highlighting it as a model of sustained environmental effort.
The 2025 edition of the survey evaluated 130 cities under NCAP, assessing factors such as air quality improvement, green cover expansion, technological innovation, and public engagement.
Category-3 Results:
1st Place: Dewas (Madhya Pradesh) – Score: 193/200 | Prize: ₹37.5 lakh
2nd Place: Parwanoo (Himachal Pradesh) – Score: 191.5/200 | Prize: ₹25 lakh
3rd Place: Angul (Odisha) – Score: 191/200 | Prize: ₹12.5 lakh
Minister Yadav also shared encouraging news that 64 cities have achieved a 20% reduction in PM10 levels, while 25 cities recorded a 40% decrease in particulate pollution between 2017–18 and 2024–25, underscoring the progress made under the NCAP.
Winners in Larger Categories:
Indore topped Category-1 (population over 10 lakh) with a perfect score of 200.
Amravati led Category-2 (population between 3–10 lakh) with a score of 200.
In another remarkable achievement, both Indore and Udaipur received Wetland City Accreditation under the Ramsar Convention, becoming the first Indian cities to be globally recognized for their urban wetland conservation efforts.
The Union government has mobilized ₹1.55 lakh crore from central, state, and local bodies to support clean air initiatives and sustainable urban infrastructure across the 130 NCAP cities. Of this, ₹13,237 crore has been released as performance-linked grants.
With this national recognition, Angul continues to be a shining example of effective environmental management and public health improvement in Odisha.
