Overview
- Jairam Ramesh accused the Centre of denial after sharing the World Bank’s A Breath of Change study on the Indo‑Gangetic Plains and Himalayan foothills.
- The report finds nearly one billion people exposed to hazardous air, about one million premature deaths annually, shortened life expectancy, and economic losses near 10% of regional GDP.
- Congress called for strict enforcement of coal-plant emission norms, faster retirement of old units, and a shift to legally empowered airshed-based governance across states.
- The party also pressed for a review of the Air Act, 1981, updated NAAQS with a PM2.5 focus, and a major expansion of the National Clean Air Programme.
- With Delhi’s AQI at 440, the CAQM reinvoked GRAP Stage IV across the NCR and has ordered closures for non-compliant industrial units following inspections.