Kharge Slams Centre Over Delhi Pollution, Cites Alarming Health Data

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge criticized the central government on Tuesday over worsening air quality in the national capital. He questioned why the region has become a leader in pollution and asked if the Prime Minister will account for air quality conditions.

Health Impacts

Official estimates attribute 17,188 deaths in Delhi to particulate air pollution in the year 2023, making up roughly 15 percent of all deaths across all age groups. Data from the State of Global Air 2024 report shows that 1,69,400 children under the age of five died from pollution-related causes across India in 2021. Exposure to PM2.5 is also linked to poor lung development and higher child mortality risks in northern states.

Unspent Funds

An RTI response from September 2026 revealed that ₹1,154 crore, which is nearly 60 percent of Delhi's environmental compensation collections, remains unspent. Delhi used only 17 percent of the funds released under the National Clean Air Programme through December 2025. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has directed the governments of Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan to submit detailed measures within two weeks to address the crisis.

Context

Air quality in northern India regularly plunges to severe levels between October and February each year due to seasonal stubble burning and weather patterns. Public health experts and courts have repeatedly pressed state and central authorities to improve fund utilization and enforce emission controls more strictly.