World Bank Commits $600 Mn to Clean Air Reforms in UP, Haryana

The World Bank on December 9 approved nearly $600mn in financial for two large-scale clean air programmes in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, a move set to impact an estimated 270mn people in one of the world’s most polluted regions.

Along with UP, the Word Bank Board has approved a similar financial programme for Haryana, too. These programmes will also aim at further increasing the attractiveness of both states as business destinations and engines of job creation.

“Air pollution is causing severe health impacts, loss of productivity and reduced quality of life across South Asia,” Paul Procee, Acting Country Director, World Bank India stated in the news release.

“These operations in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh represent the first airshed-based, multi-sectoral programmes undertaken by state governments in India to tackle the complex challenge of reducing air pollution. The programmes will also demonstrate how air quality initiatives can increase productivity and create green jobs, especially for youth and women,” Procee added.

According to the news release by World Bank on December 11, the Uttar Pradesh Clean Air Management Program (UPCAMP) will build on the UP Government’s Clean Air Plan by investing in key sectors such as transport, agriculture and industry to improve air quality for its people.

The Uttar Pradesh programme, also valued at $300mn, will follow a similar multi-sector framework tailored to the state’s needs. Both projects will receive additional funding support from the Resilient Asia Programme, financed by the UK and Switzerland, and the Bank’s Energy Sector Management Assistance Programme.

The loans have differing terms with the Uttar Pradesh programme having a final maturity of 10 years including a grace period of two years, and the Haryana programme has a final maturity of 23.5 years including a grace period of six years.

Technology & Innovation

The World Bank's clean air initiatives in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana will encourage innovation in smart transport systems, clean energy solutions, and pollution monitoring. The initiatives use technology to improve data-driven policymaking, manage air quality better, and develop scalable models for other polluted areas of India.

In late 2025, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana dominated India’s worst air quality rankings, with several cities recording AQI values above 350 (very poor to severe) and multiple urban centres among the top 10 most polluted nationwide, indicating entrenched particulate pollution challenges these clean‑air programmes aim to address.