The Policy Statement for Abatement of Pollution, adopted in 1992 lays emphasis on pollution prevention in place of the conventional end-of-the-pipe treatment also identified the adoption of best available and practicable technologies as the key element for pollution prevention. The focus of the various programmes and schemes of the Ministry and its associated organizations related to pollution prevention and control is, therefore, on such issues such as promotion of clean and low waste technologies, waste minimization, reuse or recycling, improvement of water quality, environment audit, natural resource accounting, development of mass based standards, institutional and human resource development etc. The whole issue of pollution prevention and control is dealt with by a combination of command and control methods as well as voluntary regulations, fiscal measures, promotion of awareness etc.

Programmes of the Ministry related to prevention and control of pollution are :

• Environmental Statement (as part of Environmental Audit)
  
• Environmental Statistics and Mapping
  
• Development and Promotion of Cleaner Technologies
  
• Adoption of Cleaner Technologies in Small Scale Industries
  
• Waste Minimizing
  
• Programme for improvement of Quality of Automotive Fuels (Motor Gasoline and Diesel) for reducing Vehicular Pollution
  
• Mission on Control of Vehicular Pollution from On-Road Vehicles
  
• Noise Pollution
  
• Environmental Epidemiological Studies
  
• Development of Standards
  
• Eco Labelling