India's National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) originally aimed to reduce particulate pollution by what percentage by 2024-25 compared to the 2017-18 baseline?

Correct option is D

The correct answer is (D) 20-30%

Explanation:
• Launched by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in January 2019, the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) was India's first long-term, time-bound, national-level strategy to tackle air pollution.
• Its original target was to achieve a 20% to 30% reduction in Particulate Matter concentrations (both PM2.5 and PM10) by the year 2024, using 2017 as the baseline year.

Information Booster:
• Revised Targets: Recognizing early progress and the urgent need for cleaner air, the central government later revised and enhanced the target, aiming for a 40% reduction in particulate matter by 2025-26.
• Non-attainment Cities: The program focuses heavily on over 130 "non-attainment cities" that continually failed to meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).

Additional Knowledge:
• 10-15% (Option A): This is too conservative and was not the target set by the government.
• 40-50% (Option C): 40% is the *revised* target for 2026, not the *original* goal set for 2024.
• 60-70% (Option B): This highly ambitious number has not been set as a target under the current framework of NCAP.