New Delhi, 11 January (H.S.): Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh raised trenchant questions on Sunday regarding the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)'s role in combating India's worsening air pollution crisis.
Citing a fresh analysis by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), Ramesh asserted that air pollution has morphed into a structural public health emergency across the nation, with the central government's response remaining woefully inadequate and ineffective.
In a pointed letter, Ramesh highlighted satellite data revealing that nearly 44 percent of India's cities grapple with severe air pollution. Of the 4,041 statutory towns assessed, 1,787 cities recorded annual PM2.5 levels exceeding national standards for five consecutive years from 2019 to 2024, excluding 2020.
Shockingly, NCAP encompasses only 130 such cities—mere 4 percent of the critically polluted total.Ramesh underscored further deficiencies: of these 130 cities, 28 still lack continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations, while in 102 equipped cities, PM10 levels exceeded 80 micrograms per cubic meter in 100 instances, exposing NCAP's glaring limitations and operational failures.
He demanded an immediate comprehensive review of the much-touted National Clean Air Programme, alongside a thorough overhaul of the Air Pollution Control and Prevention Act 1981 and the 2009 National Ambient Air Quality Standards.
India's norms permit 60 micrograms per cubic meter of PM2.5 over 24 hours and 40 annually—far laxer than the World Health Organization's stringent guidelines.The Congress leader called for massive funding escalation under NCAP.
Currently, approximately ₹10,500 crore is allocated via NCAP and the 15th Finance Commission for 131 cities, yet actual requirements range 10 to 20 times higher.
Ramesh urged expanding NCAP into a ₹25,000 crore initiative covering India's 1,000 most polluted cities and towns, recalibrating performance metrics around PM2.5, and prioritizing major emission sources like solid fuel combustion, vehicular exhaust, and industrial outflows.
He advocated enshrining the program in law with robust enforcement mechanisms and nationwide data monitoring infrastructure for every urban center.
Additionally, Ramesh insisted on immediate enforcement of air pollution norms for coal-fired power plants, mandating flue gas desulfurizers across all units by end-2026. He further appealed to restore the National Green Tribunal's independence and reverse the past decade's anti-public environmental law amendments, framing these as essential steps to avert a deepening catastrophe.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
