7 months ago
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Asserting that India simply cannot spend to pollute its mode to prosperity, the Congress connected Monday (December 15, 2025) said accrued contamination request not and indispensable not beryllium the terms the radical are compelled to wage for faster growth.
The Opposition enactment besides stressed that the Graded Response Action Plans (GRAPs) cannot stay the ascendant absorption of clean-air action.
In a statement, Congress General Secretary successful complaint of Communications, Jairam Ramesh, said these plans are fundamentally reactive, with the accent connected situation absorption alternatively than situation avoidance.
"We request pugnacious multi-sectoral actions with standard and velocity circular the twelvemonth and not conscionable successful the wintertime October-December months," Mr. Ramesh said.
On December 9, 2025, the Modi Government declared successful the Rajya Sabha "there is nary conclusive information disposable successful the state to found nonstop correlation of death/disease exclusively owed to aerial pollution", helium said.
"This is the 2nd clip that it has shown shocking insensitivity by denying that aerial contamination contributes to mortality oregon morbidity. It had antecedently made the aforesaid assertion connected July 29, 2024, besides successful the Rajya Sabha," Mr. Ramesh said.
The astir caller publically disposable technological grounds reveals that successful aboriginal July 2024, a survey published successful the prestigious Lancet diary showed that 7.2% of each deaths successful India are associated with aerial contamination — astir 34,000 deaths each twelvemonth successful conscionable 10 cities.
The grounds besides reveals that successful August 2024, a survey by the Mumbai-based International Institute of Population Sciences utilized authorities information from the National Family and Health Survey (NFHS V) to amusement that successful districts wherever aerial contamination exceeds National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAOS), determination is simply a 13% summation successful premature mortality for adults and astir 100% summation successful mortality for children, Mr. Ramesh said.
"In December 2024, a survey published successful The Lancet Planetary Health estimated that semipermanent vulnerability to polluted aerial contributes to astir 15 lakh further deaths successful India each twelvemonth compared with a script successful which the state met the World Health Organization's (WHO) recommended safe-exposure limits," helium said.
“In November 2025, a study prepared by the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation astatine the University of Washington, U.S.A., recovered that astir 2 cardinal deaths successful India were linked to aerial contamination — a 43% leap since the twelvemonth 2000,” Mr. Ramesh said.
“About 70% of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease deaths were connected relationship of aerial pollution,” helium said.
“The National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) were past promulgated successful November 2009 aft wide consultations,” Mr. Ramesh said.
"They were considered progressive then. But today, it needs to beryllium updated and, much importantly, ruthlessly enforced. The contiguous modular for PM2.5 is 8 times the WHO line for yearly vulnerability and 4 times the line for 24-hour exposure," helium said.
“Despite the motorboat of the National Clear Air Programme (NCAP) successful 2017, PM2.5 levels person continued to emergence and each azygous Indian lives successful areas wherever these levels acold transcend the WHO guidelines,” helium said, adding that the NCAP itself needs an overhaul.
"The Graded Response Action Plans (GRAPs) cannot stay the ascendant absorption of clean-air action. These plans are fundamentally reactive, with the accent being connected situation absorption and not situation avoidance," Mr. Ramesh said.
"We request pugnacious multi-sectoral actions with standard and velocity circular the twelvemonth and not conscionable successful the wintertime October-December months. The Air Pollution (Control and Prevention) Act, 1981, that was much than capable for 4 decades now, whitethorn itself request to beryllium revisited since a nationalist wellness exigency was not the inheritance to the enactment of that law," helium said.
“The National Green Tribunal, established successful October 2010 by an Act of Parliament with the enactment of each governmental parties, has, sadly, been emasculated implicit the past decennary and needs a caller and renewed lease of life,” Mr. Ramesh claimed.
He said emanation norms that person been relaxed for powerfulness plants and different changes made successful laws and regulations request to beryllium rolled back.
"India simply cannot spend to pollute its mode to prosperity. Increased contamination request not and indispensable not beryllium the terms the radical of the state are compelled to wage for faster growth," Mr. Ramesh said.
Delhi choked nether a heavy broad of smog connected Monday (December 15), with the Air Quality Index (AQI) settling astatine 498, which falls successful the higher spectrum of 'severe' category.
