India cannot afford to pollute its way to prosperity: Congress

As Delhi once again lay cloaked under a suffocating pall of smog, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) soaring to a perilous 498, the Congress on Monday issued a stern admonition to the Narendra Modi government, asserting that India cannot — and must not — pollute its way to prosperity.

In a pointed statement, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh emphasised that the nation’s people should not be compelled to pay the price of faster growth with their health and lives. The party underscored that current strategies, particularly the Graded Response Action Plans (GRAPs), are woefully inadequate, reactive measures that focus on crisis management rather than its prevention.

“We need robust, multi-sectoral action with scale and speed, sustained throughout the year, not merely during the winter months of October to December,” Ramesh said, highlighting the urgent need for comprehensive, year-round interventions.

Ramesh also castigated the government for its repeated dismissal of scientific evidence linking air pollution to mortality. On 9 December 2025, the Modi administration claimed in the Rajya Sabha that there is “no conclusive data” directly connecting air pollution to disease or death — a stance it had previously taken on 29 July 2024. Such assertions, Ramesh argued, reflect shocking insensitivity to a mounting public health crisis.

Citing the latest research, he noted that a July 2024 study in The Lancet linked 7.2 per cent of all deaths in India to air pollution, translating to roughly 34,000 deaths annually in just ten cities. Similarly, the International Institute of Population Sciences, using NFHS V data, found that districts exceeding the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) experience a 13 per cent rise in premature adult deaths and nearly double the mortality for children. Long-term exposure to polluted air, according to The Lancet Planetary Health in December 2024, contributes to approximately 15 lakh additional deaths each year, compared with WHO-recommended safe exposure limits.

Alarmingly, the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington reported in November 2025 that around 2 million deaths in India were linked to air pollution, marking a 43 per cent increase since 2000. Approximately 70 per cent of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) fatalities are attributed to toxic air.

Ramesh stressed that India’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards, last updated in 2009, are now outdated and urgently require strict enforcement. Current PM2.5 limits remain eight times higher than WHO annual exposure guidelines and four times higher for 24-hour exposure. Despite the launch of the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) in 2017, particulate matter levels continue to rise, with every Indian residing in areas exceeding WHO standards. The NCAP, he insisted, demands a comprehensive overhaul.

Furthermore, Ramesh called for revisiting the Air Pollution (Control and Prevention) Act of 1981, which, while sufficient for four decades, is now inadequate in addressing a public health emergency of this magnitude. He lamented the gradual weakening of the National Green Tribunal and urged a restoration of its authority. Relaxed emission norms for power plants and other regulatory changes, he argued, must be rolled back.

“India simply cannot afford to pollute its way to prosperity,” Ramesh declared. “Increased pollution need not and must not be the price the people are compelled to pay for faster growth.”

As the national capital choked under its latest blanket of smog, the warning from the Congress was clear: without bold, decisive, and year-round action, the country’s pursuit of development risks suffocating the very people it is meant to serve.

With PTI inputs