Parliamentary panel ‘shocked’ as Rs 858 cr pollution fund remains unused

Recently, the World Air Quality Report 2024 revealed that Delhi was the world's most polluted capital, with an average PM2.5 concentration of 91.8 micrograms per cubic meter.

The budget allocation of Rs 858 crore for pollution control in 2024-25 has been unutilised due to the Union Environment Ministry's failure to approve the continuation of the scheme, a parliamentary panel's report revealed.

In the report tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, the department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment, Forests, and Climate Change said air pollution has assumed "gigantic proportions", affecting not just Delhi but many other cities. The committee expressed its shock at the Demands for Grants (2025-26) report and asked the ministry to “introspect” and take serious note of the reasons for the gross underutilisation.

"The committee is shocked to find that the Rs 858 crore allocated for the 'Control of Pollution,' which accounts for 27.44 per cent of the ministry's annual revised allocation, remains unutilised, as approval for the continuation of the Control of Pollution Scheme until 2025-26 is still pending," said the 31-member panel, chaired by BJP Rajya Sabha member Bhubaneswar Kalita.

"At a time when the ministry is required to address the grave and critical challenge of deteriorating air quality, the ministry has not been able to decide the continuation of the concerned scheme, as a result of which not even 1 per cent of the funds allocated for the scheme have been utilised so far," the panel said.

Launched in 2018, the ‘Control of Pollution’ scheme aims to monitor air, water, and noise pollution levels across the country. It includes components such as financial support for weaker state pollution control boards and an environmental monitoring network to track pollution.

The 'Control of Pollution' scheme involves the Centre providing financial support to pollution control boards and committees, as well as funding for the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). The NCAP aims to reduce particulate pollution by 40 percent in 131 highly polluted cities by 2026, compared to 2019-20 levels.

Recently, the World Air Quality Report 2024 revealed that Delhi was the world's most polluted capital, with an average PM2.5 concentration of 91.8 micrograms per cubic meter. The report also highlighted that 13 of the 20 most polluted cities globally are located in India.