The Bill seeks to create an overarching body to consolidate all pollution-monitoring bodies, and bring them on one platform so that air-quality management can be carried out in a more comprehensive, efficient, and time-bound manner.
The Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Bill, 2021, was recently introduced by the Union Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate, Bhupender Yadav, in Parliament and passed by both Houses amid ongoing protests. While the Bill received overwhelming support, many members had raised concerns on the provision that allowed the commission to collect environmental compensation from farmers over pollution.