Air quality management under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has seen a nearly 10 per cent dip in outlay under the Union Budget for 2026-27, announced on February 1. Allocation to the central pollution control authority too slightly dipped by 2 per cent.
In the Budget 2026-27 documents tabled in the Lok Sabha on February 1, the ministry’s overall allocation for the year stood at Rs 3,759.46 crore, up 10 per cent from the Budget Estimates (BE) for 2025-26.
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), a key agency under the ministry, has been allocated Rs 35.26 crore for the upcoming year, down from the Rs 38.98 crore in the BE for 2025-26. The outlay is, however, a rise from the Rs 31.26 crore in the Revised Estimate (RE) for last year.
Similarly, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) saw an outlay of Rs 123 crore, a marginal dip from Rs 123 crore in BE for 2025-26, but a rise from the RE of Rs 116 crore.
Schemes see rise from RE 2025-26
India’s flagship wildlife conservation programmes, Project Elephant and Project Tiger, saw a combined allocation of Rs 290 crore, nearly double the Rs 153 crore recorded as RE for 2025-26.
Similarly, biodiversity conservation under the ministry saw an outlay of Rs 10 crore, a nearly three-fold rise from last year’s RE of Rs 4 crore. Allocation of the Green India Mission-National Afforestation Programme rose to Rs 170 crore from the Rs 124 crore recorded as RE for 2025-26. The National Afforestation and Eco-Development Board has been allocated Rs 4.99 crore, up from Rs 3.2 crore marked as RE for 2025-26.
The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) also saw a rise in outlay at Rs 32.18 crore, as against last year’s RE of Rs 25.16 crore. This is, however, a drop from BE 2025-26 of Rs 36.75 crore.
In a similar vein, allocation for forest fire prevention and management has increased to Rs 40 crore, from RE 2025-26 of Rs 33.25 crore. BE for 2025-26 was Rs 50 crore.
