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Hello everyone, this is Sabik Bataba
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from the social talks. India is facing a
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severe pollution crisis. But here's a
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shocking twist. Despite allocating
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rupees 858 crores for pollution crisis,
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the ministry of environment, climate
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change and forest hasn't even used 1% of
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it. Rupees 7.2 crores as of January this
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year. The shocking underuse was revealed
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by the parliamentary standing committee
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report which described situation as very
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grim for India's air quality. The rupees
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858 cr was meant for the flagship
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control of pollution scheme a part of
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131 polluted cities. Environment
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Ministry officials told the committee
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that the fund weren't used because the
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approval to continue the scheme into
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20125 to 26 was still pending. But the
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panel didn't agree stating that such
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bureaucratic delays are unacceptable at
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the end of the financial year when
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pollution is already a public health
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emergency. This matters deeply because
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India is home to 13 of the world's 20
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most polluted cities including Delhi
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where PM2.5 levels continue to pose
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severe health risks. Meanwhile, nearly
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rupees 850 k designed to help clean city
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air stays unused, raising questions
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about why the public money isn't
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reaching the streets. The committee has
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urged the environment ministry to
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introspect and act fast. We will soon
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watch whether the scheme gets approved
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and if the remaining funds are deployed
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before the fiscal year ends and whether
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it triggers reforms in how the pollution
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control programs are managed.
