Sri Lanka, June 29 -- In a first for the national capital, Delhi is set to witness artificial rain aimed at reducing air pollution, with cloud seeding scheduled between July 4 and 11, subject to weather conditions, Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa has said.

The flight plan for the seeding operation has been submitted by IIT Kanpur to IMD Pune for technical coordination, Sirsa told PTI.

"Conditions are not suitable for cloud seeding until July 3, but a flight window has been proposed between July 4 and 11," Sirsa said.

"This initiative marks a historic step in urban pollution control and is being carried out for the first time by the Environment Department under Chief Minister Rekha Gupta's leadership," Sirsa said.

"Our...