In the News
September 6, 2018
India is one of the most polluted countries in the world and as such the situation endangers a sizeable fraction of humanity. Per the WHO, 14 of the world’s 15 most polluted cities between 2010 and 2016 were in India. The present situation is no less than a public health emergency.
Recently, the US Health Effects Institute reported that India and China account for over half of global deaths due to air pollution. The Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago also concluded that Indians could live four years longer on average if the nation complied with WHO standards. Monetarily, air pollution is estimated to have pulled India’s GDP down by 8.5% in 2013, out of which some $55.39 billion (PPP-adjusted for 2011, Rs 3.9 lakh crore in 2018) was due to losses in labour output.
To contain this risk, the environment ministry crafted an ambitious plan called the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), worth Rs 637 crore. It was due to be notified by the end of July this year but hasn’t been. More worryingly, the plan document appears to have been diluted over multiple iterations.