The Federal Cabinet has approved in principle the Hajj Policy 2023 and National Clean Air Policy.

The meeting of the Federal Cabinet that was held in Islamabad on Thursday with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the chair also approved the National Accountability Amendment Ordinance 2023 on the recommendation of the Ministry of Law and Justice.

While chairing the meeting, the Prime Minister said in order to provide all possible facilities to Pakistani pilgrims during their journey and Hajj, the higher authorities should complete an effective and comprehensive strategy with the cooperation of the Saudi Arabian authorities as soon as possible.

Regarding National Clean Air Policy, the Prime Minister said that the Ministry of Climate Change is commendable for formulating the National Clean Air Policy. He said that necessary steps should be taken for effective implementation of clean air policy.

The cabinet was informed that air pollution has increased significantly in Pakistan over the years.

According to the Air Quality Index Report 2022-23, Karachi and Lahore are the most affected cities in Pakistan in terms of air pollution. According to the report, air pollution in Pakistan reduced the average human lifespan by 2.7 years. According to a 2016 World Bank report, Pakistan's economy suffers substantial annual losses due to air pollution.

It was informed that in recent years, the number of accidents and various diseases due to smog in cities has increased tremendously. In this regard, the Ministry of Climate Change formulated a comprehensive policy to protect citizens' health, reduce annual deaths, improve agriculture and improve air quality in urban and rural areas.

The policy proposes raising fuel standards from Euro 5 to Euro 6, stricter regulations for industrial emissions, innovation in agriculture and effective treatment of crop waste incineration, universal waste disposal practices and low-emission cooking methods.

It was further informed that the implementation of the policy will reduce the emission of toxic gases by an average of 40 percent in the next ten years.

The Ministry of Climate Change has prepared an extensive policy covering a number of subjects, including protection of health, promotion of agriculture and reduction in air pollution in urban and rural areas.

The policy to encourage upgradation of fuel from Euro 5 standard to Euro 6, introduce strict laws to control industrial emissions, modernize agriculture and use of low emission gases in cooking.