<span style="color: #222222;">Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav said, the innovative approach of imbibing the spirit of competition among the cities, is helping reduce air pollution. The Minister was addressing a gathering on the occasion of the "International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies" 'Swachh Pawan Neel Gagan', in New Delhi.<br />''<br />''Talking about the National Clean Air Programme, the Minister emphasised on the importance of the participation of people at the grassroots level, including students, NGOs and researchers. He said that with the participation of municipal corporations of many cities, like Varanasi, Srinagar and Bengaluru, the Ministry has been able to work on multi-fold issues of waste management, sustainable transport and urban greening. <br />''<br />''Mr. Yadav said that the conception of a city should include all the environmental parameters too, and the Government of India's Smart City mission is based on such an approach only.<br />''<br />''Speaking on the occasion, Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change  Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey said improving Air Quality Index is a key focus of the Government of India. He added that youth must be connected with traditional Indian wisdom, as it puts focus on clean air for better living.<br />''<br />''In 2019, the United Nations had designated the 7th of SEPTEMBER   as the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies. Today, the third International Day of Clean Air for blue skies is being celebrated under the theme of 'The Air We Share'. It focuses on the transboundary nature of air pollution highlighting the need for collective accountability and collective action.</span>