New Delhi, 15 December (H.S.):
Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh issued a scathing letter on Monday condemning the Centre's Rajya Sabha statement on air pollution as shocking and insensitive, asserting that scientific evidence directly contradicts claims of no definitive link between toxic air and deaths or diseases. He highlighted Delhi's AQI surpassing 500 in multiple areas today amid the worsening winter crisis.
Ramesh referenced the government's December 9 assertion — echoing a July 29, 2024, reply — that no concrete data proves air pollution as the sole cause of mortality or illness, calling it gravely concerning given mounting peer-reviewed studies.
A July 2024 Lancet study, he noted, links 7.2% of total Indian deaths to air pollution, with approximately 34,000 annual fatalities in just 10 cities.The International Institute for Population Sciences in Mumbai found districts exceeding National Ambient Air Quality Standards face 13% higher adult premature mortality risk and nearly doubled child death rates.
Ramesh cited Lancet Planetary Health and Washington University reports estimating 1.5-2 million pollution-related deaths yearly in India, a crisis intensifying without respite.
He demanded immediate updates to 2009 air quality standards with rigorous enforcement, plus structural reforms to the reactive National Clean Air Programme (2017) and Graded Response Action Plan, urging proactive governance over denial.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
