Kiran Bedi’s Air Pollution Reforms: Systemic Fixes for India’s Clean Air Crisis

Key Highlights:

• Former IPS officer Kiran Bedi proposes five air pollution reforms to strengthen the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) and combat India’s air pollution crisis.​
• Air pollution reforms include empowering CAQM leadership, integrating it with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), and creating a dedicated Clean Air Mission Fund.​
• Delhi-NCR’s average AQI improved to 187 in January-November 2025, yet PM2.5 levels exceed WHO guidelines nationwide.​

Opening Overview

India’s air pollution crisis demands urgent air pollution reforms, as highlighted by Kiran Bedi’s call to fix institutions before tackling hazardous air quality. In her blog “Five Reforms India Needs for Clean Air,” the former IPS officer and Puducherry Lieutenant Governor argues that half-measures fail against a problem choking cities like Delhi-NCR. Air pollution reforms must prioritize authority and coordination, moving beyond seasonal Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) activations to permanent structures.

Delhi-NCR faces year-round pollution, worsened in winter by stubble burning, vehicular emissions, and meteorology, with the Supreme Court on December 1, 2025, directing CAQM and the central government to reassess long-term air pollution reforms. Bedi stresses that clean air requires “institutions with authority, clarity, and staying power,” targeting CAQM’s current limitations. Official data shows progress under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), yet 81.9% of India’s population lives in areas exceeding national PM2.5 standards of 40 µg/m³ annually.​

This push for air pollution reforms aligns with NCAP’s goal of 40% PM10 reduction by 2025-26 from 2017-18 baselines, though only 41 of 97 monitored cities met interim 20-30% targets. Bedi’s vision shifts focus from reactive enforcement to predictive governance, essential as PM2.5 levels surpass WHO’s 5 µg/m³ guideline across all Indian regions. Strengthening air pollution reforms now could deliver breathable air as a core public good.​

Empowering CAQM Leadership and Integration

• Replace CAQM’s retired chairperson with a serving secretary-level officer for political heft and cross-state coordination in air pollution reforms.
• Integrate CAQM into MoEFCC as its operational arm, linking agriculture, transport, and industry daily for effective air pollution reforms.

Kiran Bedi identifies weak leadership as CAQM’s primary bottleneck in driving air pollution reforms. Currently headed by a retired official, the commission lacks leverage to influence ministries or budgets, hindering swift action on Delhi-NCR’s haze. A serving secretary, Bedi argues, could negotiate with chief secretaries and accelerate execution, vital when AQI spikes demand immediate air pollution reforms.​

Integration into MoEFCC would transform CAQM from a parallel body to the ministry’s engine, embedding air pollution reforms in governance. This setup ensures daily collaboration across sectors like power and urban development, addressing root causes beyond emergency GRAP stages. CAQM’s official site details ongoing GRAP implementations, yet Bedi notes over-reliance on state agencies limits impact.​

Official data underscores urgency: Delhi’s PM10 averaged 183 µg/m³ from January-November 2025, down from 205 in 2024 but above NAAQS of 60 µg/m³ annually. Empowering CAQM aligns with NCAP’s Rs. 19,611 crore allocation for 130 cities, where Rs. 11,541.88 crore released yielded 75.5% utilization by 2025.​

This table from CPCB-linked data highlights partial gains, reinforcing Bedi’s call for structural air pollution reforms.​

Establishing Clean Air Mission Fund and Enforcement Wing

• Launch a five-year Clean Air Mission Fund for stable financing in monitoring, enforcement, and public communication under air pollution reforms.
• Build CAQM’s independent district-level inspectorate to penalize violators directly, reducing state dependency in air pollution reforms.

Stable funding underpins effective air pollution reforms, per Bedi’s blueprint. Her proposed Clean Air Mission Fund would finance monitoring networks, scientific modeling, and district cells over five years, turning plans into outcomes. NCAP’s Rs. 3,072 crore for 82 non-attainment cities via MoEFCC’s Control of Pollution Scheme shows budgeting gaps, with execution needing multi-year commitment.​

Enforcement demands autonomy: CAQM relies on overstretched states, rendering it “a regulator in name only”. Bedi advocates a dedicated wing empowered to inspect, fine, and shut violators, targeting stubble burning and industries. CAQM directions, like No-95 on paddy stubble (October 2025), enforce zero-burning, but independent teams would amplify compliance.​

MoEFCC data reveals NCAP progress: 97 of 130 cities improved PM10 from 2017-18, 21 meeting NAAQS. Yet, only three “severe” AQI days (>400) in Delhi 2025 versus 11 in 2024 signals half-measures’ limits. Bedi’s fund and wing would sustain such trends in air pollution reforms.​

This allocation table illustrates financing’s role in air pollution reforms.​

Forming National Council and AI Data Centre

• Create National Council of Environment Ministers, chaired by MoEFCC, for cross-state standards and pollution coordination in air pollution reforms.
• Develop AI-enabled National Clean Air Data Centre integrating real-time industrial, vehicular, and satellite data for air pollution reforms.

Inter-state pollution like stubble from Punjab demands unified oversight, Bedi asserts in her air pollution reforms roadmap. A National Council under MoEFCC would align fuel standards, manage borders, and enforce accountability, superseding fragmented efforts. CAQM’s GRAP revisions (November 2025) show coordination needs, shifting Stage IV measures to III for flexibility.​

Bedi’s data centre vision enables predictive action: AI merging meteorological, agricultural, and emission feeds shifts from reactive GRAP to proactive air pollution reforms. CPCB bulletins forecast “Poor” AQI December 1-2, 2025, via such models. WHO notes no Indian city meets 5 µg/m³ PM2.5, with Delhi gaining 8.2 life years at compliance.​

NCAP expanded to 131 cities, adding CAAQMS, yet 28 lack stations. Bedi’s council and centre would integrate 1,500 NAMP stations targeted by 2024.​

CPCB data drives Bedi’s tech-forward air pollution reforms.​

Coordinating Reforms for Lasting Air Quality Gains

• Council aligns standards across states, tackling transboundary sources like stubble burning through air pollution reforms.
• Data centre predicts spikes, enabling preemptive measures over GRAP reactions in air pollution reform.

Bedi’s council fosters shared responsibility, coordinating transport and fuel reforms amid Delhi-NCR’s winter spikes from firecrackers and emissions. Chaired by MoEFCC, it addresses GRAP critiques as insufficient for chronic pollution. Supreme Court mandates twice-monthly hearings, echoing systemic air pollution reform needs.​

The AI data centre revolutionizes monitoring: real-time integration outperforms current CPCB daily AQI, forecasting northwest winds worsening Delhi’s haze. With PM2.5 at 65 µg/m³ nationally (December 2025), predictive tools align with WHO interim targets.​

CAQM’s 2025 directions, like bio-mass pellets in kilns (No-92), preview coordination. Bedi’s package promises scalable air pollution reforms.​

Closing Assessment

Kiran Bedi’s five air pollution reforms offer a blueprint to institutionalize clean air, empowering CAQM, funding missions, and leveraging AI for prediction. Systemic air pollution reform promise sustained gains beyond GRAP, as Delhi’s 2025 AQI drop to 187 demonstrates potential. Official NCAP funding utilization at 75.5% signals momentum, yet WHO exceedances demand bolder air pollution reforms.​

Implementing these air pollution reforms could reclaim breathable air, boosting health and productivity in pollution-burdened India. Policymakers must act decisively, for air pollution reforms today secure tomorrow’s public good. The path forward lies in authority and innovation.