Congress slams Modi government over 'rapidly deteriorating air quality nationally'

In the last five years, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has left more than 75 per cent of the Environment Protection Charge (EPC) and Environmental Compensation (EC) funds unspent, Jairam Ramesh the former environment minister said.

New Delhi: The Congress on Thursday slammed the Centre over the issue of "deteriorating air quality", alleging that this government denies there is a real problem, underfunds programmes targeted at mitigating pollution and fails to utilise the resources that it allocates.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said that among the lesser-known tragedies of "the non-biological PM's reign is the rapidly deteriorating air quality nationally" and the policy chaos that has characterised the government's response to it.

In the last five years, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has left more than 75 per cent of the Environment Protection Charge (EPC) and Environmental Compensation (EC) funds unspent, the former environment minister said on X.

In total, Rs 665.75 crores have been left unutilised, he claimed.

"Earlier this week in the Rajya Sabha, a Union Minister of State claimed that 'There are no conclusive data available in the country to establish direct correlation of death/disease exclusively due to air pollution'. In reality, a study published in the prestigious Lancet journal showed that 7.2% of all deaths in India are associated with air pollution - about 34,000 deaths each year in just 10 cities," Ramesh said.

In July, a study by the Centre for Science and Environment revealed that the government's interventions are poorly designed, with the National Clean Air Programme largely focused on mitigating road dust rather than industrial, vehicular, and biomass emissions that are the leading causes of mortality, he said.

"This Government denies there is a real problem, underfunds programmes targeted at mitigating pollution, fails to utilize the resources that it allocates, and misuses the funds that do get spent," Ramesh said.

The Congress on Tuesday slammed as a "shocking lie" the government's assertion in the Rajya Sabha that there is no conclusive data available in the country to establish a direct correlation of death or disease exclusively due to air pollution.

The opposition party was reacting to Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel's reply in the Upper House of Parliament.

In a post on X, Ramesh had said, "Today in the Rajya Sabha, the Union Minister of State responded to a question about the public health impact of air pollution by claiming that 'There are no conclusive data available in the country to establish direct correlation of death/disease exclusively due to air pollution'. This is a shocking lie."