Clean Air India Movement

Clean Air India Movement

Date	5 May 2015
Location	New Delhi, India
Organized by	Vijay Kannan (head of Blueair India)
Website	Official website

The Clean Air India Movement ^[1] (CLAIM) is a nationwide initiative launched by Blueair in India on 5 May 2015 aimed at raising awareness about air pollution, which caused an estimated 2 million premature deaths annually ^[2] and to promote sustainable solutions for clean air. The campaign has engaged various stakeholders, including government bodies, environmental experts, schools and the general public, to advocate for improved air-quality standards and policies. CLAIM has also conducted workshops, awareness drives, and research initiatives to highlight the impact of pollution on public health and the environment. The campaign was initiated by the air purifier brand Blueair, with Vijay Kannan being its head in India. The ceremonial event took place at Purana Qila, where a tree was planted by Kautilya Pandit ^[3] and Kannan. CLAIM is aimed at encouraging and educating Indian citizens to adopt air-friendly practices. The movement was symbolically launched on World Asthma Day.

There was also Share to Aware, where people were asked to share a specific educational image on their profile pages of various social networking sites to spread awareness about the movement. It included initiatives such as Clean Air Plantation Appeal, Spot the Kilvish, Make the Red Light Blue Light, and others. ^{[4] [5] [6] [7]}

Developments

2015

Vijay Kannan (right) with Gopal Rai (left), the Transport and Rural Development Minister of Delhi

In light of the campaign, the central and state governments took initiative. Union Minister of State for Environment and Forest Prakash Javadekar vowed to implement harsher pollution laws soon, including the Centre rolling out an air index in 11 cities of the nation. Along with this, a ban on diesel vehicles older than 10 years in the national capital was imposed. The office of the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi gave a nod to the cycling policy for the city. ^[8] Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi initiated a plantation drive, followed by an appeal by the Delhi Government to all the MLAs to plant 2,000 saplings each in their constituencies. This was followed by the Delhi government hardening its stance against the open burning of trash. ^[9]

In unison with the Transport and Rural Development Minister of Delhi, Gopal Rai, Vijay Kannan supported Car Free Day on 22 November 2015 in the district of Dwarka, Delhi. CLAIM has been associated with support for Car Free Day in Delhi and in the national capital region.

In 2015, Blueair launched an air monitoring app. ^[10] Blueair said in a statement that the app gathers real-time air pollution information from a host of monitoring stations in Indian cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Kolkata, and warns users of air pollution. ^{[11] [12]}

Vijay Kannan promoting the Car Free Day in Dwarka, New Delhi, on 22 November 2015

2016

See Your Lung Campaign: A Free carpool service was offered to around 10,000 citizens of New Delhi. ^{[13] [14]}

Save Your Lung Campaign: On the eve of World Asthma Day, CLAIM launched the "Save Your Lungs" campaign to increase awareness of the ill effects of rising air pollution levels. Started in Gurgaon, the campaign was taken to Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Kolkata. ^[15]

Plantation Drive On World Environment Day: More than 200 people participated in a plantation drive on the occasion of World Environment Day. The drive was organized as part of CLAIM. The participants marched from India Gate to Guru Harikrishna Public School at Purana Quila Road, where the saplings were planted.

Awards

CLAIM has been given the "Energy and Environment Foundation Global Award 2016" by the Energy and Environment Foundation (EEF).

Representatives of CLAIM receive the Energy and Environment Foundation Global Award

Kannan said, "it is a great honor to be recognized for initiating and pursuing positive steps to address the grave problem of air pollution that threatens human health and wellness in most urban environments across our country". He added that Blueair's ambition with CLAIM is to drive a non-partisan program aimed at raising awareness among women, children, and men about the need to take control of the alarming levels of air pollution". ^{[16] [17]}

Gallery

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  World Environment Day
• 
  India Gate World Environment Day
• 
  Noida International Yoga Day

References

1. "India". Clean Air Fund. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
2. "India". Clean Air Fund. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
3. "A seven-year old Kautilya Pandit, child prodigy launched the Clean..." Getty Images (in French). 5 May 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
4. "Share To Aware".
5. "Clean Air Plantation Challenge".
6. "Spot The Kilvish".
7. "Make The Red Light Blue Light".
8. "Cycling policy for Delhi gets LG nod". The Times of India. 2 June 2015. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 18 September 2025.
9. "Turning over a new leaf". The Hindu. 5 June 2015. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 18 September 2025.
10. "Air Quality Monitoring App". The Hindu. 21 July 2015.
11. Hunny, Hny (18 October 2021). "Emirates Draw Results Today Winning Numbers [Live Update]". Emirates Draw Results Today Live Update Winners List. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
12. "Blueair launches air pollution warning App on Android". The Zee News. 20 July 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
13. "See Your Lung Campaign". TheTimes Of India. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
14. "Campaign by Clean Air India Movement". Business Standard. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
15. "Save Your Lung Campaign". The Times Of India. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
16. "Clean Air India Movement won Energy and Environment Foundation Global Environment Award 2016". 23 August 2016.
17. "Anti-pollution campaign bags global environment award 2016".