The Delhi government unveiled a high-stakes innovation challenge on Friday, offering cash rewards of up to ₹50 lakh to innovators and researchers developing scalable solutions to tackle the city's chronic air pollution crisis. Announced by Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa during a press conference, the initiative invites proposals from individuals, startups, technology developers, R&D institutions, universities, and registered entities nationwide.
Spearheaded by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), the program aims to harness cutting-edge ideas to reduce harmful particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) levels, which frequently push Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) into the "severe" category, endangering millions of residents annually.
The challenge zeroes in on two critical areas: curbing emissions from older BS-IV and pre-BS-IV diesel vehicles, which contribute significantly to vehicular pollution in a fleet of over 12 million vehicles, and innovating technologies to capture PM2.5 and PM10 particles directly from ambient air. These focus areas address key pollution sources in Delhi, where transport accounts for about 40% of emissions, per Central Pollution Control Board data, exacerbating winter smog episodes that often last weeks.
Sirsa emphasized the urgency, noting that Delhi's AQI averaged 300-400 during peak pollution months in 2024, leading to school closures and health emergencies. Proposals must demonstrate feasibility, scalability, and environmental impact, with submissions open until a yet-to-be-specified deadline on the DPCC portal.
The rigorous selection process unfolds in three phases: initial scrutiny by DPCC experts for viability, followed by technical evaluations and field trials overseen by an independent committee, and culminating in validation by the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) or equivalent institutions. Shortlisted projects post-trials earn ₹5 lakh in seed funding to refine prototypes, while those passing final testing receive the full ₹50 lakh reward, potentially funding commercialization.
This merit-based approach mirrors global innovation models like the U.S. EPA's grants, ensuring only proven solutions advance. Sirsa highlighted the government's track record, including anti-smog guns that sprayed over 10 crore liters of mist in 2024, bio-mining at landfills to cut open burning, Yamuna desilting drives, and advanced waste-to-energy plants processing 2,000 tonnes daily.
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As Delhi braces for another smog season, this challenge aligns with the Aam Aadmi Party's broader anti-pollution arsenal, including odd-even vehicle rationing and electric bus rollouts under the ₹6,000 crore Green Budget 2025. By crowdsourcing solutions, the initiative fosters public-private collaboration, potentially yielding breakthroughs like retrofitting kits for legacy vehicles or urban air purifiers.
Experts applaud the move but urge faster implementation, given Delhi's ranking as the world's most polluted capital for six straight years by IQAir. With proposals pouring in expected soon, the program could spark a wave of homegrown tech to reclaim breathable air for the capital's 30 million inhabitants.
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