Key to NCAP is civil society engagement

objectives too. Smart cities is one case in point. The challenge now is to train city managers so they understand air pollution.

Many cities have made their plans, so we cannot change those. Instead, we have to help them add on air pollution abatement, which requires elementary knowledge. While smart cities covers only 43 of the 102 cities listed for action in the NCAP, across the various missions, key decision makers must be rigourously trained to learn the fundamentals of air pollution to fight it effectively.

Both these aspects of NCAP require a fundamental reorientation in its implementation. It cannot be business as usual within one ministry. Its success depends on learning to work differently, and reorienting policy implementation. It’s a test for everyone -- mostly that of our ability to survive this killer phenomenon.