Govt to unveil clean-air technologies during showcase at IIT-Delhi

The Delhi Government will organise a public showcase of clean-air technologies at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, in the last week of the month as part of the next phase of its innovation challenge aimed at reducing PM 2.5 and PM 10 levels in the city, Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said on Thursday.

The minister said the event follows the primary screening of nearly 300 proposals submitted by individuals, start-ups, research institutions and industry.

The shortlisted applicants have now been invited to present their ideas before the Innovation Technical Evaluation Committee (ITEC), a panel of scientists, professors and technical experts.

During the showcase, innovators will make presentations and demonstrate prototypes designed to either reduce emissions from BS-IV and older vehicles or capture particulate matter directly from the ambient air.

Each demonstration will be evaluated on parameters such as emission reduction potential, feasibility, cost, maintenance requirements and suitability for Delhi’s conditions, the minister added.

“People have a right to see how decisions are taken on clean-air technologies, which ideas are chosen and why, and how public money is used to support innovation,” said Sirsa.

Entries meeting ITEC’s criteria will move to field trials or laboratory testing, with the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) covering costs within prescribed limits.

Officials said that technologies with existing credible test reports may move directly to the final review stage.

Under the incentive structure, the DPCC will provide Rs 5 lakh to projects that clear ITEC evaluation and testing. An additional Rs 50 lakh will be given to solutions verified by National Physical Laboratory (NPL)-equivalent laboratories and recommended for adoption by the government.

Officials said the innovation challenge forms part of a wider strategy to identify technologies that can be deployed across the city.