Bengal to create 20K to 40K green jobs in next few years

Experts and researchers at the summit organised by the Centre for Air Pollution Studies (CAPS) strongly believe that Bengal, which has been showing promise to tackle air pollution by taking proactive steps

MP  | 27 Aug 2022 |  Kolkata: The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) 2.0 is likely to create between 20,000 and 40,000 green jobs in West Bengal alone, opined experts at the India Clean Air Summit 2022 (ICAS 2022), a four-day event on the theme of 'Looking at Air Pollution through the Climate Lens' organised at the Centre for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP) in Bengaluru. 

Experts and researchers at the summit organised by the Centre for Air Pollution Studies (CAPS) strongly believe that Bengal, which has been showing promise to tackle air pollution by taking proactive steps in transportation as well as airshed management, can play a leadership role over time to achieve clean air for its citizens. "An estimated 1 million green jobs are available within the air quality domain alone across India. These trainings can be started at the IITs. 

For Bengal, IIT Kharagpur can take the lead and start such a training," Prof SN Tripathi, Senior Professor at the Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Kanpur, said. In the seven non-attainment cities in Bengal — Kolkata, Howrah, Barrackpore, Haldia, Durgapur, Asansol, and Raniganj — NCAP is being implemented. Dr Pratima Singh, head of CAPS, said: "While the state is leading by example when it comes to preparing action plans on key issues like transportation and an airshed management, at the same time it was important to keep in mind by working on effective implementation of these actions on ground and also monitor the efficacy of these plans." 

According to Tripathi, currently, India does not have a comprehensive air quality management programme and academics are not fully trained in the sole study of air quality. "Air quality management necessitates the development of such a standard, as well as the participation of health and economic experts. This programme, which is interdisciplinary, cannot be offered by a single department. I believe that in the next five years, we will require at least 1000 such professionals equipped with the right knowledge. This programme can even be extended to include bureaucrats," he said. 

During the ICAS 2022, experts suggested that a state like Bengal also needs to look beyond the NCAP deadline of 2024 and cannot limit its fight against air pollution to short-term measures. NCAP, announced by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in January 2019, has led to the development of clean air action plans with an aim to reduce PM2.5 pollution by 20–30 percent by 2024 compared to 2017. http://www.millenniumpost.in/kolkata/bengal-to-create-20k-to-40k-green-jobs-in-next-few-years-490996