Shashi Tharoor at AQA meet in Delhi

Congress’ Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor has brought attention to how air pollution is a grave public health crisis and an environmental emergency, which “transcends economic, social, and political divides,” while addressing a high-level roundtable on Clean Air and Public Health: Advancing Collective Action, at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.
The roundtable, organised on Tuesday, hosted by Tharoor and convened by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) and AirQualityAsia (AQA), is the seventh such roundtable hosted by the Congress MP since 2017.
According to an official statement from the MP’s office, the round table brings together India’s leading air quality experts, policymakers, health professionals, and civil society actors to deliberate on scalable, cross-sectoral solutions to reduce air pollution and improve public health across Indian cities, towns, and villages. Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Statistics and Programme Implementation also attended the event, along with multiple other leaders.
“Air pollution transcends economic, social, and political divides–it is both a grave public health crisis and an environmental emergency. It demands not just our best ideas, but our collective courage and concerted action across sectors and states,” Tharoor said.
During his opening address, Tharoor mentioned how over 70 per cent of the people, around 98 crore people are breathing sub optimal air, and called for the Centre and states to work together to solve the crisis.
“The evidence is stark. Nearly 70 per cent of our population–around 980 million people–are breathing air that fails to meet even our own national standards (as of 2023). Delhi may have recorded its cleanest July in a decade, but just last winter, it suffered its worst air quality in four years. The central government and states must work together, alongside experts, industry, civil society, and citizens, to align our efforts and implement scalable solutions–from clean transport to cleaner fuels. If we can sustain this momentum, we can turn the aspiration for clean air into a lasting reality,” he said.
Meanwhile, MoS Inderjit Singh, said in his inaugural address, “Clean air is a national imperative that needed to be addressed yesterday. Platforms like this bring together sharper minds and practical ideas that can help us in government take tangible steps forward. I look forward to the insights from today’s discussion contributing to initiatives like the National Clean Air Programme and beyond.”
Arunabha Ghosh, Founder-CEO of CEEW and member of Commission for Air Quality management (CAQM) also mentioned how air pollution is a “liability” while clean air is an economic asset.
“Air pollution is a liability, but clean air is an economic asset. It improves worker productivity, educational outcomes, talent attraction to our cities, and even foreign investment. The more we see clean air as an economic driver–not just an environmental goal–the faster we can bring in the full force of government, industry, and civil society. This isn’t just about regulators or ministries–it’s about all of us. We must bridge the gap between being economic agents by day and citizens by night. Clean air must become a shared, national priority,” she said.
The roundtable was co-chaired by Arunabha Ghosh (Founder-CEO of CEEW & Member, CAQM) and Soumya Swaminathan (Chairperson of the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation). Other participants were illustrious experts from CAQM, World Resources Institute, INDICC Associates, ITDP South Asia, IRADe, World Bank, UNEP, NIPFP, and Global Health Strategies, among others.
Swaminathan, during her address highlighted the health problems associated with air pollution.
“Air pollution is the number one health risk in India today–linked not just to asthma and lung disease but also to diabetes, heart attacks, dementia, and poor brain development in children. The health ministry faces the consequences, but the responsibility lies across all ministries. Clean air must be seen not as a cost but as a public good and an investment in the health of current and future generations,” she said.
Kumar Bajpayee, Member Secretary of CAQM said, “We’ve been able to scientifically decode the key sources of pollution in Delhi–transport and construction are major contributors. We’re now targeting each sector with data-backed interventions, from cutting tailpipe emissions to improving walkable infrastructure and access to public transport. But this is not just about Delhi. The entire Indo-Gangetic Plain must move forward–because when it comes to air quality, we simply cannot afford to go back.”
The statement from Tharoor’s office also mentioned how India’s air pollution crisis is not limited to a few megacities. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is now the single largest health risk in the country, contributing to millions of premature deaths and lost years of healthy life. Research shows that investments in clean air deliver remarkable returns: every Rs 1 invested could yield INR 30 in economic and health benefits. Reducing air pollution would boost productivity, extend life expectancy, improve learning outcomes, lower healthcare costs, and benefit India’s economy by as much as 3 per cent of its GDP or USD 95 billion annually.
According to the statement, the roundtable brought together Members of Parliament representing diverse states. Participating MPs included Priyanka Chaturvedi, Sudhanshu Trivedi, Sasmit Patra, and Vivek Krishna Tankha (Rajya Sabha); Shashank Mani Tripathi and Jagdambika Pal (Uttar Pradesh); CN Manjunath (Karnataka); Arvind Ganpat Sawant (Maharashtra); Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu (Andhra Pradesh); PP Chaudhary (Rajasthan); Naveen Jindal (Haryana); and Vikramjit Singh Sahney (Punjab). Air pollution is not limited to one geography–it is a nationwide crisis requiring a unified response and collective action.

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