Expressing concern over the air pollution situation in Delhi and several other cities, the Congress on Monday said there is a need to take concrete steps throughout the year instead of just in a few winter months and the Anti-Air Pollution Act of 1981 should also be reconsidered.
Party general secretary Jairam Ramesh also said that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) needs to be rejuvenated as it has been weakened over the years.
Ramesh said in a statement, “On December 9, 2025, the Modi government announced in the Rajya Sabha that ‘there is no concrete data available in the country which can prove that death or disease is directly related to air pollution only.’ This is the second time that the government has shown shocking insensitivity and denied the contribution of air pollution to death or disease.” He said that earlier also the government had made the same claim in the Rajya Sabha on July 29, 2024.
According to Ramesh, the most recent publicly available scientific evidence reveals several facts. He said, “A study published in the prestigious ‘Lancet’ journal in early July, 2024 showed that 7.2 percent of the total deaths in India are related to air pollution. According to this study, about 34,000 deaths every year are related to air pollution in just 10 cities.
He also cited some other studies and said that the ‘National Ambient Air Quality Standards’ were last issued in November 2009 after extensive consultations. At that time these were considered progressive but today they need to be upgraded and more importantly, they should be strictly implemented.
Ramesh said, “The standards currently set for PM2.5 are eight times higher than the annual safe guidelines of the World Health Organization. Despite the launch of the ‘National Clear Air Program’ in 2017, PM 2.5 levels have been continuously increasing and every citizen of the country is living in areas where these levels are much higher than the World Health Organization guidelines.
According to him, the Phased Response Action Plan (GRAP) cannot remain the main focus of the steps required for clean air.
He says that these plans are essentially reactive and respond to emergencies.
The Congress leader said, “We need to take strict measures throughout the year, not just in the winter months of October-December, but on a large scale and rapidly in many areas. The Air Pollution (Control and Prevention) Act, 1981, which was considered adequate for more than four decades, now needs to be reconsidered because the reason behind enacting that law was not a health emergency.
Ramesh said the National Green Tribunal, established under an Act of Parliament in October 2010 with the support of all political parties, has been weakened over the last decade. He said it needed a new life.
“In addition, the relaxation of emission standards for power plants and other changes made in laws and regulations should be rolled back,” Ramesh stressed.
He said, “India cannot afford to spread pollution for the sake of prosperity. The people of the country do not need and should not pay the price of more pollution in the name of rapid development.
