Stakeholder analysis of air quality management framework in India
Student name: Ms Radhika Kapoor
Guide: Dr Prateek Sharma
Year of completion: 2012
Host Organisation: Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation, Munirka, New Delhi
Supervisor (Host Organisation): Mr Kunal Sharma
Abstract: India is a developing economy faced with the grappling challenge of balancing economic development with
environmental and social wellbeing. Amidst all the other pressing environmental concerns, air pollution is surging
ahead to be one of the most daunting environmental threats the country faces today. Air pollution is not only an
environmental issue but also has mortality related health implications for human beings. Therefore, India is under
immense global and national pressure to improve the air quality and address this issue with seriousness.
Despite the urgency, the piecemeal approach of the government in tackling the problem is leading to un-sustained
short term benefits and fragmented air quality management framework. Air is a public good; hence, identifying and
understanding its multi-stakeholder base and their contribution to the AQM framework is quintessential in building a
robust Air Quality Management framework for the country.
The project – ‘Stakeholder Analysis of Air Quality Management in India’, is an attempt to provide a comprehensive
commentary on the present ‘Air Quality Management’ framework in the country.
The broad objective of this report was to identify the various stakeholder organisations in the air quality management
domain in India, determine the activity domain of these organisations, identify existing overlaps and inter-linkages
between them, assess their efforts in relation to their stated objectives to analyze the shortcomings in the system, and
thereby, make concrete recommendations while proposing a lean AQM framework for the country.
This project report provides a holistic overview of the current status of the air quality management framework
prevalent in the country while citing useful insights on the major initiatives undertaken by key stakeholders in this
domain. This analysis is the first ever study to have been undertaken in this field with the sole objective of facilitating
greater understanding of the framework in India and to study potential areas of development with regard to
strengthening the system. Further, the in depth analysis of the framework laid the foundation stone for proposing an
improved Air Quality Management Framework for India. The robust framework proposed is the first ever attempt to
diagrammatic represent all the stakeholders of the AQM network and is of immense significance to all the stakeholders
actively involved in improving the air quality in India.
Keywords: Air Pollution, Air Quality, Air Quality Management Framework, Stakeholder Analysis
