NEW DELHI — India on Thursday launched a programme to rein in dangerous pollution levels in more than a hundred cities and the government said it is expected to improve air quality significantly.

But the plan drew immediate criticism from environmentalists, who said it lacked a clear framework to tackle toxicity levels that have led to millions of deaths.

India is home to the world’s 14 most polluted cities, according to the World Health Organisation. Toxic air claimed 1.24 million lives there in 2017, a study in Lancet Planetary Health showed last month.

The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) aims to cut pollution in the 102 worst affected cities by 20-30 percent by 2024.

Launching it, Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan said he believed it would substantially improve air quality. “We need to ensure that we give clean air to our children and the generations to come,” he told a news conference.

The plan aims to push through cuts in industrial emissions and vehicular exhaust fumes, introduce stringent rules for transport fuels and biomass burning and reduce dust pollution. It will also upgrade and increase monitoring systems.