Modi govt fuelling public health crisis linked to air pollution: Jairam Ramesh

Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh Sunday raised serious concerns over the government’s handling of India’s escalating air pollution crisis.

In a statement shared on his handle X, the Congress leader alleged that the Narendra Modi government is fuelling India’s public health crisis linked to air pollution through inadequate, underfunded, and delayed action against the scourge.

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Criticizing the National Clean Air Program for allegedly being underfunded and poorly implemented, with many cities lacking the infrastructure to track air pollution, Ramesh demanded a drastic increase in funding for NCAP, from Rs 10,500 crores to Rs 25,000 crores.

Slamming the NITI Aayog’s proposal to pause the installation of sulphur-reducing equipment in power plants, Ramesh called it detrimental to air quality and public health.

In this context, he cited the study by the Lancet journal that concluded that air pollution is responsible for 7.2 per cent of all deaths in India, with approximately 34,000 deaths annually across ten cities.

Urging the government to acknowledge the severity of the crisis and overhaul outdated environmental laws, Ramesh recommended focus on industrial, vehicular, and biomass emissions, which are the primary sources of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution.

He suggested adopting a regional or “airshed” approach to air quality management, promoting collaboration across states and municipalities.

He also demanded strict regulation of coal power plants, ensuring the installation of Flue Gas Desulfurization units by 2025.