Opposition slams Indian government for denying link between air pollution and deaths

ISLAMABAD: Indian opposition has strongly criticized the Modi government for claiming in Parliament that there is no conclusive evidence linking air pollution to deaths or disease, citing multiple scientific studies that show air pollution significantly contributes to mortality and morbidity in India.

All India Congress Committee general secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh said this in a rebuttal posted on social media platform X on Monday.

According to an Indian media report, Minister of State for Health, Prataprao Jadhav, told Rajya Sabha (Upper House) on Tuesday, that “there is no conclusive data available in the country to establish a direct correlation of death/disease exclusively due to air pollution.”

“Air pollution is one of the triggering factors for respiratory ailments and associated diseases,” Jadhav said in a written reply.

“The health effects of air pollution are a synergistic manifestation of factors, which include food habits, occupational habits, socioeconomic status, medical history, immunity, heredity, etc, of the individuals,” the minister has stated.

About 34,000 deaths 

Ramesh reacting to the minister’s reply in the Parliament, said in his statement that this is the second time the Modi government has shown “shocking insensitivity” by denying that air pollution contributes to mortality or morbidity.

The Indian Congress leader pointed out that the Modi government had made a similar claim earlier on 29th July 2024 in the Rajya Sabha.

The opposition leader, while rebutting the government’s claim shared that “in early July 2024, a study published in the prestigious Lancet journal showed that 7.2% of all deaths in India are associated with air pollution – about 34,000 deaths each year in just 10 cities.”

1.5 million additional deaths 

Ramesh, in his statement noted that in August 2024, a study by the Mumbai-based International Institute of Population Sciences used government data from the National Family and Health Survey (NFHS V) to show that in districts where air pollution exceeds National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), there is a 13% increase in premature mortality for adults and around 100% increase in mortality for children.

The Indian opposition leader further stated that in December 2024, a study published in The Lancet Planetary Health estimated that long-term exposure to polluted air contributes to roughly 1.5 million additional deaths in India each year compared with a scenario in which the country met the World Health Organization (WHO)'s recommended safe-exposure limits.

43% jump 

Ramesh, quoting a November 2025 report prepared by the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, USA stated that about two million deaths in India were linked to air pollution — a 43% jump since the year 2000.

“About 70% of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease deaths were on account of air pollution,” he said quoting the report.

Price of growth 

The Indian opposition leader stressed the government to update the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) last promulgated in November 2009, and an overhaul of National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) in 2017.

The minister concluded his statement by saying “India simply cannot afford to pollute its way to prosperity. Increased pollution need not and must not be the price the people of the country are compelled to pay for faster growth.”