Overview
- Minister of State for Health Prataprao Jadhav, in a written reply on December 9, said India lacks conclusive data to attribute deaths or diseases exclusively to air pollution.
- The ministry acknowledged pollution as a trigger for respiratory and related illnesses and described health outcomes as a synergistic result of personal and social factors.
- Since 2019, the National Programme for Climate Change and Human Health has guided a Health Adaptation Plan and state action plans for all 36 states and Union Territories, each with a dedicated air pollution chapter.
- Public health advisories, nationwide awareness drives, and training modules for health workers and vulnerable groups are in place, with the IMD providing early warnings and air-quality forecasts.
- Coverage noted Delhi’s air quality in poor to very poor categories as the Centre also cited PM Ujjwala Yojana, Swachh Bharat Mission, and the National Clean Air Programme, while saying official state-wise tallies of deaths or losses tied exclusively to pollution are not maintained.