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Date | 5 May 2015 |
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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 for raising awareness about air pollution, which caused an estimated 2 million early deaths per year [2] and to promote sustainable solution 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]
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.[ citation needed ] 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.
In unison with the Transport and Rural Development Minister of Delhi, Gopal Rai, Vijay Kannan supports 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. [8] 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. [9] [10]
See Your Lung Campaign: A Free carpool service was offered to around 10,000 citizens of New Delhi. [11] [12]
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. [13]
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.
CLAIM has been given the "Energy and Environment Foundation Global Award 2016" by the Energy and Environment Foundation (EEF).
Kannan said that "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 said that Blueair's ambition with CLAIM is to drive a non-partisan program geared to raise awareness among women, children, and men about the need to take control over the "alarming levels of air pollution". [14] [15]