World Bank Approves $300 Million Loan To Uttar Pradesh For Clean Air Transition Project

New Delhi: The World Bank on Monday signed an agreement to provide a loan of about USD 300 million to Uttar Pradesh for a clean air transition project. This loan will help support the Uttar Pradesh government's Clean Air Plan, which focuses on integrated solutions to improve the state’s air quality and create job opportunities for youth and women.

The UP Clean Air Management Program (USD 299.66 million) will focus on clean air transition across key sectors like transport, agriculture and industry, with clean air benefits spilling over to other states, a joint statement said. Almost 200 new air quality monitors will be installed with data received from the UP Pollution Control Board, it said.

The agreement was signed by Juhi Mukherjee, Joint Secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, on behalf of the Government of India; B Chandrakala, CEO, Clean Air Management Authority and Secretary of Forest, Environment and Climate Change on behalf of the Government of Uttar Pradesh; and Paul Procee, Acting Country Director, India on behalf of the World Bank.

Uttar Pradesh is on course to become a USD 1 trillion economy because we believe that economic growth, productivity, and ecological balance go hand-in-hand, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said. "Through the Uttar Pradesh Clean Air Management Program, our pursuit of prosperity will be measured not by GDP alone, but by clean skies, healthier and more productive citizens, and a flourishing environment that sustains our people and our planet," he said.

The programme will leverage almost USD 150 million in private capital in the transport and MSME sectors, said Paul Procee, acting Country Director, World Bank India. "By investing in electric buses and 3-wheelers, and emissions monitoring systems and cleaner technologies in industries, the programme will help to improve firm productivity and growth, as well as provide greater access to jobs to young men and women in the state," he said.

The programme will also help 3.9 million households gain access to clean cooking, it said, adding that more than 700 brick kilns will transition to resource-efficient technology. Farmers will adopt efficient fertiliser use to improve crop productivity in the state. The Uttar Pradesh program is part of the World Bank’s Regional Air Quality Management Program in the Indo-Gangetic Plains and Himalayan Foothills (IGP-HF), a global air pollution hotspot. It has a maturity of 10 years, including a grace period of two years and will receive support from the multi-donor Energy Sector Management Assessment Program. 

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