Air pollution caused nearly 20 lakh deaths in 2023, says FICCI-EY report; Congress attacks Centre

The Congress has alleged that the Centre is not acknowledging the gravity of deaths caused by air pollution in the country. According to the latest report by FICCI and EY, around 20 lakh people died in India in 2023 because of air pollution. This is roughly 22 per cent of all deaths in the country.

Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh cited the report to criticise the Modi government. He said the government dismisses study reports on pollution by saying they were not made with India at the centre. But rising PM 2.5 levels are proving deadly in many parts of the country, he said. Ramesh said it is more important that people can breathe freely than "ease of doing business".

Meanwhile, Delhi's pollution rose sharply after Diwali fireworks. According to Central Pollution Control Board data, the air quality index on Monday morning was 406 at ITO, 418 at Ghazipur and 381 at Rajiv Chowk.

Air pollution is reported to cause India an economic loss of about Rs 19 to 20 lakh crore every year. Fine PM 2.5 particles enter the lungs and the blood through the respiratory tract and cause serious illnesses.

One study found that between 2009 and 2019, India's entire population lived in areas where PM 2.5 levels were above the WHO's safe limit. According to the study, the pollution problem is no longer confined to the metros and has spread to villages and industrial areas as well.