07/09/2026
Clean air doesn’t begin in the sky. It begins on the ground. 🌱
Globally, every US$1 invested in integrated climate and clean-air action could generate up to US$15 in economic benefits. By 2050, these solutions could help prevent 144 million premature deaths and hundreds of millions of cases of chronic disease. According to UNEP 2026.
In 2017, India faced a significant crop-residue management challenge: 16% of crop residue was burnt in fields, with paddy straw accounting for nearly 60%. In north-western India alone, an estimated 2.5 million farmers burnt paddy straw during October and November, severely affecting regional air quality. According to National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 2017.
CII Foundation recognising the urgent need to tackle crop residue burning at its source, launched a pilot across 19 villages in Punjab in 2018. By bringing together farmers, communities, government, industry, and knowledge institutions, the initiative transformed collective intent into scalable action. Today, it has grown into a powerful multi-stakeholder movement reaching:
🌾 1,000+ villages
👩🌾 2 lakh+ farmers
🚜 12 lakh+ acres of farmland
Through its Crop Residue Management initiative, the CII Foundation supports farmers with:
✅ Awareness and community engagement
✅ Machinery access through community tool banks
✅ Farmer training and farm demonstrations
✅ Ex-situ solutions for the productive use of biomass
In 2025, these collective efforts helped manage 1.6 million tonnes of straw that could otherwise have been burnt, avoiding an estimated 14,000 tonnes of PM2.5 and PM10 emissions.
Beyond crop residue management, CII Foundation is advancing initiatives in tree plantation, waterbody restoration, and waste management, contributing to cleaner environments, healthier ecosystems, and more resilient communities.
On this International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies, let us turn awareness into action, partnerships into progress, and today’s efforts into tomorrow’s blue skies.
