Air Act explained: this guide covers what it means, who it applies to, the step-by-step process, documents required, fees, due dates and penalties in India — so you can stay compliant with confidence and avoid costly mistakes.
Section 21 of the Air Act normally requires consent from the State Board before an industrial plant is established or operated. The proviso to section 21(1) lets the Central Government exempt categories of plants. G.S.R. 702(E) of 12 November 2024 did so for two groups: plants on a white-category list that merely inform the Board in writing, and plants that already hold prior environmental clearance.
This notification is current as amended up to G.S.R. 598(E) dated 8 July 2026 (Schedule substituted again; this is the current list), through G.S.R. 512(E) of 28 July 2025 and G.S.R. 761(E) of 17 October 2025. Later amendments, CPCB guidelines and notifications should be checked. If you are deciding whether your unit needs consent, see our compliance documentation service.
Two categories are exempt from the section 21(1) consent requirement: (a) industrial sectors, projects, processes or activities with a pollution index score up to 25 as listed in the Schedule, which must inform the State Board or Pollution Control Committee in writing; and (b) plants that already have prior environmental clearance under the 2006 notification, in respect of consent to establish. The current Schedule has 87 entries.
What the notification does
Section 21 of the Air Act and its guidelines are explained in section 21. The proviso to section 21(1) allows the Central Government, in consultation with the Central Pollution Control Board, to exempt categories of industrial plants from that sub-section. The notification applies it in two paragraphs and then adds a line on procedure: subject to the Act and the notification, the Ministry may issue a standard operating procedure for streamlining implementation, as it deems appropriate.
Whether a given State Board has issued such a procedure is outside this article. The Air consent guidelines of 2025 are explained from paragraphs 1 to 3 onward in this series.
Paragraph (a): the white list and the intimation
As originally notified, paragraph (a) exempted "all industrial plants having pollution index score upto 20 as listed in the Schedule". G.S.R. 512(E) substituted the paragraph. It now reads:
"(a) all industrial sectors or projects or processes or activities having pollution index score upto 25 as listed in the Schedule to this notification, subject to condition that such industrial sectors or projects or processes or activities shall inform in writing to the State Pollution Control Boards or the Pollution Control Committees;"
Three points follow.
- The exemption is for what is listed. An activity qualifies only if it is in the Schedule and has a pollution index score up to 25.
- The condition is an intimation, not an application. The unit must "inform in writing" the State Board or the Pollution Control Committee. The notification prints no form, fee or time limit for it.
- The exemption is from section 21(1) only. Other laws, such as the hazardous waste authorisation or the water consent, are not covered by this notification. For water, see the companion exemption in the next article.
Paragraph (b): plants with prior environmental clearance
Paragraph (b) exempts "all industrial plants which have obtained prior environmental clearance as per the notification ... number S.O. 1533(E), dated the 14th September, 2006 issued under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, in respect of previous consent to establish such plant". The exemption is limited to the consent to establish: a plant with prior environmental clearance does not separately need consent to establish under section 21. The 2006 notification is outside this series. The notification does not say that the plant is also exempt from consent to operate.
The current Schedule: 87 white-category entries
The Schedule is titled "List of white category sectors". The original 2024 version was headed as classified by CPCB under the 2016 classification methodology; G.S.R. 512(E) replaced it with a list under "Classification-2025"; G.S.R. 761(E) substituted it again; and G.S.R. 598(E) of 8 July 2026 substituted the present list of 87 entries, which supersedes the earlier ones. The kinds of activities listed include assembly and repair work (bicycles, air coolers, electrical and electronic items), dry-process manufacturing, paper and wood products without boilers or spray painting, small food-processing and packing units, coir and jute products, renewable-energy activities and some collection centres. The first ten entries read:
| No. | Entry |
|---|---|
| 1 | Assembly of bicycles, baby carriages and other small non-motorised vehicles |
| 2 | Baling (hydraulic press) of waste papers |
| 3 | Bio fertilizers and bio-pesticides without using inorganic chemicals |
| 4 | Block making of printing without foundry (excluding wooden block making) |
| 5 | Flavoured betel nuts production or grinding (completely dry mechanical operations) |
| 6 | Manufacturing of shoe brush and wire brush |
| 7 | Coir fibre or pith processing and/or manufacturing of coir products from coir (only dry process) |
| 8 | Assembly of air coolers or air conditioners, repairing and servicing |
| 9 | Cardboard or corrugated box and paper products (excluding paper or pulp manufacturing and without using boilers) |
| 10 | Chalk making from plaster of Paris (only casting without boilers etc.) |
Many entries are qualified by conditions in brackets, such as "dry process", "without boiler" or "without effluent generation". Both the activity and the condition must match; a unit that adds a boiler or a wet process steps outside the entry. Some entries (for example, small food-processing units and rice mills) carry an asterisk, and a note in the Schedule explains that these are sub-sectors of existing green-category sectors. For the full list and exact wording, read G.S.R. 598(E).
How a unit should use the exemption
- Match the activity to a Schedule entry, including every bracketed condition.
- Inform the State Board or Committee in writing before starting, and keep a dated copy and proof of delivery.
- Re-check on every change of process, fuel or product; a boiler or wet process may move the unit outside the entry.
- Re-check the Schedule when a new amendment issues, since it has been substituted three times since November 2024.
- Look separately at other approvals: water consent, hazardous waste authorisation, and local licences are not removed by this notification.
The general consent route, for units not covered, is explained in how to get pollution control CTE and CTO in India.
A note on dates
The amendment in July 2025 is dated 28 July 2025 in its own gazette text; some later notifications refer to it as dated 29 July 2025. This article follows the date printed in the notification itself.
Example
Tulsi Corrugators, a small unit, plans to make corrugated boxes from bought-in paper without a boiler. The activity matches an entry in the Schedule (cardboard or corrugated box and paper products, excluding paper or pulp manufacturing and without using boilers). The owner writes to the State Board informing it of the unit, its location and its process, and keeps the dispatch proof. A year later, the unit plans to install a boiler for a new line. The entry's condition no longer fits, so the owner reviews the position with advisers before installing it.
Need help with exemption or consent?
Deciding whether a unit sits inside an entry, and what to tell the Board, is a documentation exercise. Our compliance documentation team can help you map your process to the Schedule, prepare the intimation and keep the file ready for an inspection.
Key takeaways
- G.S.R. 702(E) exempts two groups of plants from section 21(1) consent.
- White-category plants with a pollution index score up to 25 must inform the State Board or Committee in writing.
- Plants with prior environmental clearance are exempt in respect of consent to establish.
- The current Schedule, from G.S.R. 598(E) of 8 July 2026, has 87 entries, many with conditions in brackets.
- The exemption covers the Air Act consent only.
Read next
- The Water Act section 25 exemption (G.S.R. 703(E))
- Paragraphs 1-3 of the Air consent guidelines, 2025
- Section 21 of the Air Act: consent to establish or operate an industrial plant
- Pollution control CTE and CTO: eligibility criteria
Disclaimer: Based on the environment rules, guidelines and notifications named above as published in the Gazette of India, read with every amendment notified up to 3 October 2026 that the article names (consolidated reading texts from the CPCB 2021 compilation and the Goa State Pollution Control Board 2025 compilation were checked against the amending notifications), as consulted on 3 October 2026. Later amendments, CPCB guidelines, State Board orders and fees should be checked. This article is general information, not legal advice; check the official text before acting.