Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board (JSPCB) has taken numerous progressive steps to improve the monitoring and regulatory framework for industrial emissions and that includes the installation of several continuous emission monitoring systems (CEMS) in industrial plants and going online with the process for consent to operate and consent to establish, among many others. In line with international best practices, JSPCB has also made available real-time emission data on its website.

JSPCB launched the Star Rating Program, a data disclosure and transparency initiative, in 2019 to address the problem of industrial air pollution in the state. The program utilizes continuously monitored emissions data from major industrial plants to categorize industries from 1-star to 5-star, i.e. from the least compliant to the most compliant. Besides informing the public and industries, the program also aims to encourage healthy competition among industries for better regulatory compliance to reduce emissions. JSPCB collaborated with the University of Chicago Trust (UC Trust) for this initiative. The UC Trust, through the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC India), has supported JSPCB in the design and implementation of the program.

Jharkhand is the third state in the country to launch this program, after Maharashtra and Odisha. Other countries have also widely used public disclosure and transparency initiatives to improve environmental outcomes. Examples include the US Toxic Release Inventory, Indonesia’s PROPER, the Philippines’ Eco-watch, and the Chinese GreenWatch. The low cost of these policies focuses on releasing information already collected by the Government has a universal appeal to Governments.
On October 20, 2022, the Jharkhand Star Rating Program launched its website in which a industrial air pollution map highlights the emissions of each industry and their ranking based on their PM emissions. Visit the website here.

The program has received generous research support from USAID.