🗞️ Why in News The Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas (CAQM), at the 30th meeting of its full Commission on 28 September 2026 under Chairperson Rajesh Verma, approved a revised Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) for Delhi-NCR, announced on 29 September. It withdraws the exemption for BS-IV and older goods vehicles carrying essential commodities in Stages III and IV, extends the Stage III ban on older cars to Sonipat, and trims the schedule to 48 actions.
What Changed
| Change | Detail |
|---|---|
| Essential-goods exemption withdrawn | BS-IV and older goods vehicles (LGVs and MGVs in Stage III, trucks and HGVs in Stage IV) can no longer ply by claiming they carry essential commodities |
| Entry of outside LGVs and MGVs | Diesel BS-IV and older light and medium goods vehicles registered outside Delhi barred from entering Delhi in Stage III, now stated explicitly |
| Sonipat added | Ban on BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel cars in Stage III now covers Sonipat, besides the high-vehicle-density districts of Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddh Nagar |
| Measures moved earlier | Actions on diesel generator sets and on entry of BS-IV and older buses from other NCR States moved from Stage II to Stage I |
| A small relaxation | Pothole repair allowed during the Stage III construction ban |
| Unchanged exemptions | Vehicles adapted for persons with disabilities; in Stage IV, trucks that are electric, BS-VI, CNG or LNG |
| Streamlining | Repeated Stage I actions on dust, municipal solid waste and transport merged; Citizen Charter of dos and don’ts revised for every stage |
| New count | 25 actions in Stage I, 8 in Stage II, 10 in Stage III, 5 in Stage IV: 48 in all |
Other decisions at the meeting. Web-portal registration and dust monitoring of construction and demolition (C&D) sites extended beyond municipal limits to development areas, industrial areas and highway corridors; an advisory issued earlier this month (No. 18) to reschedule physical sports competitions in NCR in November and December noted; two full-time technical members appointed by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet; and progress reviewed: 1,831 units given closure orders by the Enforcement Task Force (1,479 later allowed to resume after compliance), and 4.14 crore of the 4.61 crore plants targeted for NCR in 2026-27 already planted.
GRAP in Brief
What it is. A set of emergency, short-term measures that kick in by stages as air quality worsens, and since 2022 on the basis of forecasts, so that curbs start before air turns severe.
| Stage | Air Quality Index (AQI) | Typical measures |
|---|---|---|
| I, Poor | 201 to 300 | Dust control at sites, mechanised sweeping, PUC checks, ban on open burning |
| II, Very Poor | 301 to 400 | Higher parking fees, more public transport, curbs on diesel generator use |
| III, Severe | 401 to 450 | Ban on non-essential construction and demolition, curbs on older petrol and diesel cars, possible hybrid classes |
| IV, Severe+ | Above 450 | Ban on entry of polluting trucks, work from home for offices, schools can shift online |
History. GRAP was first notified by the Environment Ministry in January 2017, after the Supreme Court’s orders in the M.C. Mehta case, and was enforced by the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA). EPCA was dissolved when CAQM was created, first by an ordinance in October 2020 and then by the Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Act, 2021. CAQM covers Delhi-NCR and the adjoining areas of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, and its directions override those of State pollution control boards on matters it covers.
Why the winter is worst. Low wind speeds, falling temperatures and a low mixing height trap pollutants (a temperature inversion). To the steady base of vehicle, dust, industry and waste-burning emissions, October and November add paddy stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana and festival firecrackers. The Indian Express editorial of 30 September warns that El Niño may bring fewer western disturbances this winter, removing the rain that sometimes clears the air.
Analysis
1. Closing loopholes where the emissions are. Old diesel goods vehicles emit far more particulate matter and nitrogen oxides than BS-VI vehicles. The essential-goods exemption was hard to police at the border; withdrawing it makes enforcement simpler, while EVs, CNG, LNG and BS-VI trucks keep supply lines open.
2. Earlier action is the real reform. Moving generator and bus curbs to Stage I recognises that measures taken only at Stage III arrive too late; pollution builds over days.
3. GRAP is a fire extinguisher, not a cure. Bans lower peaks for a few days. Lasting gains need year-round action on the sources: clean public transport and last-mile links, paved and swept roads, C&D waste reuse, industrial fuel shifts, and in-situ and ex-situ crop residue management so that stubble is not burned. The Delhi government’s own winter plan, from 1 November, repeats many past measures, a point The Indian Express editorial makes today.
4. Regional airshed, regional governance. Pollution does not stop at Delhi’s border. CAQM’s value lies in making NCR States act together; its credibility depends on enforcing against all States equally and publishing compliance data.
UPSC Relevance
GS Paper 3. Environmental pollution and degradation; conservation. GS Paper 2. Statutory and regulatory bodies; Centre-State coordination.
A question worth preparing. “Graded, emergency responses have lowered peaks but not the season.” Evaluate the Graded Response Action Plan and suggest structural measures for clean air in the National Capital Region. (250 words)
The Mains framing. Explain GRAP’s stages and its forecast-based trigger; note the September 2026 revisions. Identify sources (vehicles, dust, industry, stubble, waste). Argue that bans are necessary but insufficient. Propose an airshed approach, source-specific actions and accountability through CAQM and the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).
📌 Facts Corner, Knowledgepedia
Prelims, statement-ready facts:
- CAQM: statutory body under the CAQM Act, 2021 (ordinance Oct 2020); replaced EPCA (1998).
- GRAP stages by AQI: I 201-300, II 301-400, III 401-450, IV above 450.
- GRAP first notified January 2017 by MoEFCC after Supreme Court orders in M.C. Mehta.
- Revised GRAP (28 Sep 2026): 48 actions; 25/8/10/5 across Stages I to IV.
- Stage III car ban (BS-III petrol, BS-IV diesel) now also in Sonipat.
- CAQM area: NCR plus adjoining areas of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh.
Prelims, the traps:
- GRAP is triggered on forecast AQI too, not only on AQI already recorded.
- NCAP (2019) is a separate national programme for 131 non-attainment cities; GRAP is NCR-specific.
- EV, BS-VI, CNG and LNG trucks remain allowed even in Stage IV.
Mains, arguments and keywords:
- Airshed approach; temperature inversion; source apportionment; crop residue management; enforcement parity.
- Emergency bans versus year-round structural measures.
Interview, be ready for:
- “Is work from home a pollution policy?” It trims traffic on the worst days; the real levers are transport, dust, industry and stubble.
Sources: PIB, CAQM approves revised GRAP (29 September 2026), The Hindu, CAQM
Source: CAQM Revises GRAP Before Winter: Fewer Exemptions for Old Vehicles, Sonipat Added to the Curbs — Ujiyari.com | Free UPSC & State PCS Current Affairs
