In an effort to combat the heavy pollution, the Delhi government has drafted a proposal aiming to distribute free anti-pollution masks for children in public and private schools.
A report in The Hindustan Times said that the government hopes to distribute five million N95 masks before Diwali.
This scheme is part of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s seven-point plan to counter air pollution. He announced these earlier in September, among other initiatives like odd-even schee for cars.
Explaining the Scheme
What are N95 masks? They block nearly 95% of the common air pollutant PM 2.5 which is made up pf tiny particulate matter. This often contributes to the haze we see and can cause severe lung diseases.
Delhi has 1030 government-run schools, 215 government-aided schools and 1,352 private schools says the report and a government official told HT that distribution is to be completed by 22 October, well before the 27 October Diwali deadline.
Estimating the budget is still underway as the Diwali deadline is fast approaching but the government has not yet evaluated the N95 masks available in the market.
The masks will be distributed by school zones, and the report added that the government is hoping to cater to primary school students "with time." These schools are mostly run by municipal corporations, sanitation workers and construction workers.
While the fine print needs to be worked out, it seems that protecting the most vulnerable -children- is high on the state government’s radar.
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(With inputs from The Hindustan Times)
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