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City college holds int’l webinar

The departments of Chemistry and Zoology of Sankardev College, in collaboration with its Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC), organised an international webinar ‘Effect of the Pandemic on the Environment and its impact on Climate Change’. The programme was inaugurated by the principal of the College, Dr Eureka FP Lyngdoh, while resource persons included Sumarlin Shangdiar from Taiwan, Dr S Sengupta from G.C. College, Assam, Anumita Roy Choudhury, Executive Director, CSE, Dr Kassian Tshidhigona from Pretoria, South Africa and Prof D Walia, Department of Environmental Studies, NEHU, Shillong. Scholars, academicians and students from India and abroad participated and deliberated on the theme and presentations.

Kolkata, Howrah among cities to get air pollution package

Kolkata, Howrah among cities to get air pollution package Kolkata: Howrah and Kolkata are among the 42 cities across the country with a million-plus population that can claim a share of the Rs 2,217-crore kitty to fight air pollution. There are seven towns in Bengal where pollution levels are very poor but will be unable to tap into the fund to improve the air quality. That’s a concern that West Bengal Pollution Control Board chairman Kalyan Rudra reflected upon: “There is no doubt that local level anti-pollution action is important and sacrosanct. But the most effective battle against air pollution cannot be restricted to one or two cities. There has to be concerted efforts to clean up the airshed of the entire Indo-Gangetic plain as the air pollution is increasingly becoming a trans-border issue.” In a series of exchanges with IITs, WBPCB has found that the emission inventory of the city does not match with the level of different pollutants in its ambient air. “Any creation of funds for fighting air pollution is well intended. But its purpose will be fulfilled, if it is not seen as a problem of one or two cities,” said another PCB official. Under the targeted funding for cities, Kolkata and Howrah had received funding for clean air action last year as well. Under the new budget, another top up is expected and perhaps more cities may get added. While this is a step in the right direction, the spending requires performance-based indicators to make verifiable improvement in air quality, said air pollution expert Anumita Roychowdhury. “Mitigation action needs to move beyond the city limit to have a regional or airshed focus,” the executive director of Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) remarked. Green crusader Subhas Datta, who has fought a series of legal battles against the steady degradation of ambient air quality in the twin cities of Kolkata and Howrah, said he hoped the fund would help greater compliance of numerous orders passed by the National Green Tribunal. “City authorities have been very slow in their course of action. By the time they act under duress, the damage is done. We need a perfect marriage of money and mind (intent) in this context,” said Datta. The budget on Monday reiterated the scrapping age for automobiles: 15 years for commercial vehicles and 20 years for private vehicles. However, it will be voluntary for the latter. Private cars that cross 20 years will be required to undergo fitness tests in automated fitness centres. If it passes the test, it can ply on the roads. But if it fails, the vehicle will have to be scrapped.

Vehicle Scrappage Policy for India gets the green signal

One of the first announcements of the Union Budget 2021 has been the confirmation that the much-awaited Vehicle Scrappage Policy has been cleared by the Central government. The voluntary scheme, which is for personal and commercial vehicles, will be applicable to 15-yearold private vehicles and 20-year-old commercial vehicles. Finance Minister Nirmal Sitharaman said that details of the scrappage scheme will shared by the Ministry soon. She added that both private vehicles and commercial vehicles over 20 and 15 years will have to undergo a fitness test at government-appointed automated vehicle fitness centres. Meanwhile, Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, speaking to the media, said that “"Over 51 lakh LMVs older than 20 years & 34 lakh older than 15 years to be scrapped. Also, 17 lakh M&HCVs older than 15 years are plying without a valid fitness certificate. These 1 crore vehicles will be a huge enabler for new vehicle sales.” The goals of the Voluntary Scrappage Policy are: 1) Reduce population of old & defective vehicles on road 2) 25-30% reduction in vehicular air pollution 3) Improve road safety with new vehicles conforming to latest norms 4) Recycling metals such as aluminum & copper and reduce import dependence The confirmation of the Vehicle Scrappage POlicy had an immediate effect on the stock prices of some vehicle manufacturers like Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland, Maruti Suzuki and Mahindra & Mahindra. Finally a green signal to the Scrappage Policy In May 2016, the government had floated a draft Voluntary Vehicle Fleet Modernisation Programme (V-VMP) that proposed to take 28 million decade-old vehicles off the road. A committee of secretaries (CoS) recommended to the ministry redesigning of the scheme for greater participation of states with partial support from the Centre. The CoS had suggested that the scheme may dovetail a calibrated and phased regulatory approach for capping the life of vehicles together with stricter implementation of emission norms and accordingly a revised consultation paper got in-principle nod of the PMO. Scrappage as a growth accelerator Vehicle scrappage essentially gets rid of old, polluting vehicles on road. Adopted by a number of developed markets, a vehicle scrappage policy is usually mandated by a government to accelerate the replacement of old, polluting vehicles by new vehicles. Such a policy also enables dual gains — stimulating the domestic automobile and automotive industry and importantly, removing inefficient, polluting vehicles from the road, paving the way for greener motoring and cleaner air. The Indian automobile industry, which has been witnessing a sales slowdown since the past two years and is down 24% as per the latest April-December 2020 numbers, has been urging the government to introduce a vehicle scrappage policy since long. The M&HCV segment, is down 54% year on year, and will hugely benefit from such a policy. High pollution potential of older vehicles According to the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), by 2025, India will have a monumental load of over 2 crore old vehicles nearing the end of their lives. These, along with other unfit vehicles, will cause huge pollution and environmental damage. Even though the older legacy vehicles are smaller in numbers, their contribution to the pollution load from vehicles can be disproportionately high. In its consultation note of 2018, MoRTH had mentioned that although CVs (such as trucks and buses, taxies and three-wheelers) constitute only about 5 percent of the total fleet, they contribute nearly 65-70 percent of the vehicular pollution. Of these, the older commercial vehicles, typically manufactured before the year 2000, account for 15 percent of the total vehicular pollution as these pollute 10-25 times more than a modern vehicle. Another 2013 study from the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) estimates that in 2011, pre-2003 vehicles were about 23 percent of the fleet but were responsible for about half of the particulate emissions from vehicles. IIT Bombay’s multi-city study in 2014 estimated that pre-2005 vehicles were responsible for 70 percent of total pollution load from vehicles. In fact, old heavy-duty vehicles have higher impact in smaller cities and towns and contribution of old diesel cars and two-wheelers can vary between 8-23 percent across cities. Fleet renewal of heavy-duty vehicles based on BS VI emissions standards can give significant benefits. For example, an old BS-I heavy-duty diesel vehicle is designed to emit 35 times higher particulate matter compared to a BS VI vehicle. As cities begin to take stronger action on old and junk vehicles, these will begin to crowd in other areas and transfer pollution. From an industry perspective and to drive growth in the critical CV segment, which is still badly impacted, it is important to prioritise the scrappage of old heavy-duty vehicles and replace them with BS VI vehicles. According to CSE, if a stimulus package is extended to personal vehicles (two-wheelers and cars), then the public incentive programme along with voluntary incentives from the industry should be linked with electric vehicles. This is needed as an accelerator to stay on course to meet the target of 30-40 percent electrification of the fleet by 2030. The Delhi government, in its Electric Vehicle Policy, has already linked scrappage incentives with electric vehicles for 25 percent electrification by 2024. A similar linkage is needed at the national level. Also, for national-level implementation, additional criteria for identifying grossly polluting and unfit vehicles based on fitness and roadworthiness, damaged vehicles, emissions performance, are needed to guide the nation-wide programme. Age caps can work in pollution hotspots. What about vintage and classic cars? Whilst a scrappage policy may bring down pollution, there must be an exception of Vintage and Classic cars as well as a provision made for Modern Classics, which are an important part of not just automotive history but also history of humanity. Also, most of these cars are used extremely sparingly and are extremely well maintained and they aren't used daily, so there is no question of them causing any pollution. The total number of cars that are collectible are only a few thousand so a blanket scrappage rule would be unfair Some relatively mainstream cars besides old Ferraris, Mercedes and Porsches that are over 15-year-old cars like the BMW 330i and the Mazda MX-5 are actually increasing in value internationally. Therefore, to scrap them would be a loss of national wealth. All in all, a vehicle scrappage policy is good news for India Auto Inc and the country. While industry awaits clarity on the policy, it will be important that there is speedy action on developing scrappage facilities across the country.

Focus on clean air, govt earmarks Rs 2,217 cr for 42 urban centres

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that the government has earmarked Rs 2,217 crore for 42 urban centres with a million-plus population to focus on clean air. The budget has focused primarily on clean air in the environment sector – with its objectives spanning across ministries and sectors, from National Clean Air Programme under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to the ministries of Power, New and Renewable Energy and Urban Affairs. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that the government has earmarked Rs 2,217 crore for 42 urban centres with a million-plus population to focus on clean air. The minister had made a similar announcement, with an allocation of Rs 4,400 crore for cities above one million population. But hit by Covid-19, disbursement only started in the later part of this year, say experts. “It is important to focus on urban centres so this announcement is welcome, but as we know from our recent experience, budgets need to be in line with regional air sheds – such as the NCR air shed. The policy also needs to be performance-linked so that the disbursal of funds is effective,” says Anumita Roy Choudhury, air pollution expert at the Centre for Science and Environment. “These funds come mainly as a recommendation of the 15th Finance Commission and are directly disbursed to urban local bodies for a five-year period with the intention of reducing 5 per cent air pollution annually, which is in keeping with the goals of the National Clean Air Programme, to reduce air pollution between 20-22 per cent by 2024.’’ Roy Choudhury says one of the most welcome announcements for clean air is that of the voluntary vehicle scrapping policy. Sitharaman announced the policy to “help phase out old and unfit vehicles’’ and to encourage “fuel-efficient, environment friendly vehicles”. Under this policy, vehicles will undergo fitness tests in automated fitness centres after 20 years in case of personal vehicles, and after 15 years in case of commercial vehicles. “The one area that we wish the government had shown more ambition in is that of electric vehicles because this is the decade of transitioning to electric transport,’’ says Roy Choudhury. A slew of other measures such as a focus on segregated waste management, handling of construction and demolition debris, stress on public transportation and emphasis on renewable energy are also being seen as a push to tackle air pollution. The Finance Minister further announced a Hydrogen Energy Mission for generating hydrogen out of green powered sources. She also announced Rs 1,000 crore to the Solar Energy Corporation of India and Rs 1,500 crore to Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency. “We have already acknowledged that solar energy has a huge promise for India. To build up domestic capacity, we will notify a phased manufacturing plan for solar cells and solar panels. At present, to encourage domestic production, we are raising duty on solar inverters from 5 per cent to 20 per cent , and on solar lanterns from 5 per cent to 15 per cent,’’ said Sitharaman “Budget 2021 should have been leveraged to accelerate India’s energy transition and provide an ambitious action plan to meet 450 GW of renewable energy by 2030. Having a long- term vision could have helped the government lay the ground for innovative interventions that can scale up renewable energy projects,” says Rishabh Jain of Centre for Energy Finance. “In the current budget, the government has increased customs duties on solar inverters and solar lanterns which will help domestic manufacturers in the short run. However, India needs a clear and robust policy on domestic solar manufacturing,’’ he says.

Budget 2021: Hydrogen mission; solar energy, clean air among focus areas

Centre’s clean air programme got a shot in the arm with Sitharaman announcing a fund of ₹2,217 crore for air pollution control in 42 cities The Centre will launch a Hydrogen Energy Mission in 2021-22 for generating hydrogen from green power sources. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s announcement of a hydrogen mission could go a long way in reducing India’s carbon footprint, experts said. According to a report titled “The Potential Role of Hydrogen in India – Harnessing the Hype” by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) released in December last year, demand for hydrogen could increase by at least 5-fold by 2050, continuing to grow in the second half of the century in India. Demand for hydrogen is at around 6 metric tonne (MT) per annum, mainly from industry sectors, such as fertilizers and refineries. This can increase to around 28 MT by 2050 mainly due to cost reductions in key technologies and a push to reduce carbon footprint. Demand will mainly grow in steel and road transport, shipping and aviation sectors. The report also projected that India would require 40 MT of green hydrogen to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2060. “I am glad this is happening now,” said TERI director general Ajay Mathur. Hydrogen from renewables can be produced through various methods, one of them is to use renewable electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen in an electrolyser, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency. Hydrogen from renewable sources can play a critical role in heavy-duty, long-distance transport. While battery operated electric vehicles (BEV) will become competitive for heavy-duty transport, hydrogen production will be needed. It will also play a critical role in production of ammonia which is currently being produced from fossil-fuel based hydrogen. “The Hydrogen Energy Mission will be critical because hydrogen may be the only way to have zero carbon emissions from heavy industries like cement and steel -- provided that hydrogen is produced by electrolysis from renewable electricity,” said Ulka Kelkar, director, Climate Program, World Resources Institute, India. The Budget also gave a boost to solar energy by proposing to provide a capital infusion of ₹1,000 crore to the Solar Energy Corporation of India and ₹1,500 crore to the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency. “To build up domestic capacity, we will notify a phased manufacturing plan for solar cells and solar panels. At present, to encourage domestic production, we are raising duty on solar inverters from 5% to 20%, and on solar lanterns from 5% to 15%,” Sitharaman said in her Budget speech. Centre’s clean air programme also got a shot in the arm with Sitharaman announcing a fund of ₹2,217 crore for air pollution control in 42 cities with a million plus population. The Centre had approved the release of ₹2,200 crore last year based on recommendation of the 15th Finance Commission. The grant is meant to be utilised for air quality improvement measures under the National Clean Air Programme including capacity building of the local urban bodies as well as state pollution control boards to improve monitoring of air pollution levels in these cities. Delhi, however, is not among cities to receive funds under this grant. Further, under the Swachch Bharat Mission, Sitharaman has announced a focus on complete faecal sludge management and waste water treatment, segregation at source of garbage, reduction in single-use plastic, reduction in air pollution by effectively managing waste from construction-and-demolition activities and bioremediation of all legacy dump sites. This will be implemented with a total financial allocation of ₹141,678 crore over a period of five years from 2021-2026. Sitharaman also announced a voluntary vehicle scrapping policy to phase out old and unfit vehicles. “This will help in encouraging fuel-efficient, environment friendly vehicles, thereby reducing vehicular pollution and oil import bill. Vehicles would undergo fitness tests in automated fitness centres after 20 years in case of personal vehicles, and after 15 years in case of commercial vehicles. Details of the scheme will be separately shared by the ministry,” she said. “We still haven’t seen the scrappage policy so we don’t know what the fine print is. The scrappage policy is meant to be a stimulus to the economy and will also result in transition to cleaner vehicles but it’s a voluntary policy so we will have to study the incentives and disincentives that come with it. There is continued focus on clean air in million plus cities and the government has now detailed out its waste management policy with waste management at source, management of landfills etc. A co-benefit of these will also be improved air quality, But we need to see how money for clean air was spent since last year. We actually need a performance budget to understand how the money is being utilised and what results its yielding,” said Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director, Centre for Science and Environment. The Budget announced an outlay of more than ₹4,000 crore over five years for a Deep Ocean Mission which will cover deep ocean survey exploration and projects for the conservation of deep sea biodiversity. “Drawing from the government’s Blue Economy policy, the budget makes allocations for expansion of shipping and inland waterways infrastructure along with ₹2,000 crore for PPP model in all major ports. In another section it discusses the need for the conservation of deep ocean biodiversity. Neither policy documents nor budget allocations recognize that these priorities could be in conflict. This is already visible in several new proposals including those proposed in the Little Andaman Islands or in the west coast in places like Karwar and Dahanu,” said Kanchi Kohli, legal researcher, Centre for Policy Research. Environment ministry was allocated ₹3,100 crore for various programmes, including control of air pollution in Budget 2020-21. The revised estimates for 2020-21 was ₹2,015 crore and the new budget estimates for 2021-22 is ₹2,869 crore. The newly formed Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and adjoining areas got a budget provision of ₹20 crore for its activities.

बजट 2021 में अहम है कबाड़ नीति, पर्यावरण के लिए तीन चीजों पर फोकस: सीएसई

बजट 2021 में अहम है कबाड़ नीति, पर्यावरण के लिए तीन चीजों पर फोकस: सीएसई सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट की पर्यावरणविद अनुमिता राय चौधरी का कहना है कि अगर पर्यावरण के लिहाज से देखें तो यह वेस्ट (व्यर्थ), वायु प्रदूषण और जल प्रदूषण पर फोकस करता हुआ बजट है. नई दिल्ली. आम बजट 2021 (Budget 2021) में पर्यावरण को लेकर फोकस किया गया है. वित्त मंत्री निर्मला सीतारमण की ओर से पेश किए गए बजट में स्क्रैपिंग पॉलिसी (Scrapping Policy) लाने की बात कही गई है. भारत में पुराने वाहनों से लगातार बढ़ते प्रदूषण को देखते हुए पर्यावरणविद लंबे समय से प्रदूषण (Pollution) फैलाने वाले पुराने वाहनों के स्क्रैपेज (कबाड़) को लेकर मांग कर रहे थे. सीएसई ने खुद स्क्रैपेज पॉलिसी पर एक रिपोर्ट निकाली थी जिसपर पिछले पांच साल से चर्चा भी हो रही थी. अब अगर बजट 2021-22 में व्हीकल स्क्रैपेज पॉलिसी (Vehicle Scrappage Policy) लाने की बात कही गई है तो यह अच्छी बात है. यह कहना है सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (CSE) की एक्जीक्यूटिव डायरेक्टर अनुमिता राय चौधरी का. न्यूज 18 हिंदी से बातचीत में अनुमिता राय चौधरी ने कहा कि बजट काफी ठीक है लेकिन असली मसला उसके उपयोग को लेकर है. यह पैसा किन जगहों पर खर्च किया जाना है. पिछले साल बजट 2020 में सरकार ने हवा को शुद्ध करने के लिए 4400 करोड़ रुपये दिए थे. 42 प्रमुख प्रदूषित शहरों पर यह पैसा खर्च होना था. हालांकि वह पैसा कैसे-कहां खर्च हुआ और उसका क्या परिणाम रहा यह तो स्टेटस रिपोर्ट आने के बाद ही कहा जाएगा लेकिन इस मद में इस साल भी इसमें 2267 करोड़ रुपये बढ़ाया गया है तो यह राहत की बात है. वे कहती हैं कि कोरोना महामारी और इस दौरान प्रदूषण एक बड़ी समस्या रहा है. इस दौरान बस ट्रांसपोर्ट सेवा पर भी बड़ा खराब प्रभाव पड़ा था और हम लोगों की मांग भी थी जिस पर इस बजट में ध्यान दिया गया है बसों के लिए करीब 1800 करोड़ रुपये के पैकेज की बात कही गई है तो इससे पब्लिक ट्रांसपोर्ट में भी सुधार होगा. वहीं 15 साल पुराने सार्वजनिक और 20 साल पुराने निजी वाहनों की फिटनेस की जांच और स्क्रैपेज से पर्यावरण को फायदा होगा. अगर पर्यावरण के लिहाज से देखें तो यह बजट वेस्ट (व्यर्थ), वायु प्रदूषण और जल प्रदूषण पर फोकस करता हुआ है. इसमें ग्रीन कवर को बढ़ाने और ग्रीन हाउस गैसों के प्रभाव को लेकर बहुत खास नहीं है हालांकि इस समय की सबसे बड़ी परेशानी बन चुके वेस्ट मेटेरियल के निदान और वायु व जल प्रदूषण को रोकने की दिशा में यह बजट अच्छा है.

Water Recycling Management Needs Serious Attention in India

As per the World Bank India is the biggest consumer of fresh water in the world, using annually 750 billion cubic meters approximately. Our country has nearly 17-18 percent of world’s population, although we do not have more than 4-5 per cent of the world’s water resources. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has estimated few years back, that by 2030, demand for water may rise to 1.5 trillion cubic meters. India lacks adequate infrastructure and awareness with regard to wastewater recycling. This resulted in over- exploitation of India’s water resources, and till now the existent mechanisms on wastewater recycling are not that efficient. Therefore the water crisis is a looming danger that one should be cautious of. The per capita availability of water in India is estimated to fall towards 1,100 cubic meters by 2050. It was 1,800 cubic meters per year in 2001. Water used for sanitation purposes is rarely recycled in India’s urban areas, and as per survey reports merely 30 per cent of India’s wastewater is recycled. Our country lacks proper financing and designs for the wastewater recycling infrastructure, especially urban areas. The sewage systems have not been designed as per global standards, and most of the urban India’s sewage systems lead directly to rivers or lakes, without treatment. Related Links National Water Policy Needs Wider Consultation with Various Stakeholders The cost of setting up of wastewater treatment plants and restructuring of sewerage systems is one of the biggest challenges, and as estimated by the Centre for Science and Environment, India requires around Rs. 1 crore per million liters for setting up a wastewater plant. Therefore adequate support from the government and private sector is needed; otherwise it will be really difficult for urban and rural India to afford the construction of such plants, and would rather prefer discharging wastewater directly into the water bodies. In urban India, setting up of wastewater plants is tough also because of unavailability of suitable land. Land is highly expensive in the urban areas. Lack of continuous power supply and skilled labor force, are other major challenges faced while setting up of wastewater treatment plants in the country. The role of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in addressing the issue of wastewater treatment has been significant since last 6 years. The mission has roped in experts from Gujarat Technological University and Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) to conduct research in context to developing low cost technologies for treating wastewater. Under this mission there has been an increase rural as well as urban sanitation coverage, and a number of private corporations have started taking interest in the sanitation and wastewater recycling process. According to an?article in? the Tower Magazine, nearly 90 percent of the?wastewater?generated in Israel is reused thus making it the global leader in?water recycling. Spain is the second largest nation for water reuse, which recycles 20 percent of its waste water. The water treated for reuse in Israel is predominantly used for agricultural irrigation. Roughly one tenth of waste water is used for environmental purposes, such as increasing volume of river flow or suppression of fire. Only 5 percent is discharged into the sea in the country. Israel has been able to survive drought and periods of?water scarcity, through water conservation and reuse. It is high time that India should make steps to reduce the water recycling problems in near future. Nearly 70 per cent of India’s wastewater goes directly into rivers and lakes. Experts feel that rather than setting up of wastewater plants, we should focus on the alternative methods of wastewater recycling which doesn’t burden the economy. Private corporations can make investments in this sector which can result in growth of small organizations associating themselves with wastewater collection, redirecting of wastewater to treatment plants and transportation of wastewater from remote locations to treatment plants. This will not only strengthen the entrepreneurial network in rural and urban India, but also address the issue of wastewater management to a large extent.

What India's Key Environmental Programmes Get, And How They Spend It: Budget

What India's Key Environmental Programmes Get, And How They Spend It: Budget Central funds allocated for environmental programmes are usually insufficient or poorly managed. Funding must match needs by correctly assessing the nature and extent of challenges such as air pollution and water management. Bengaluru: In her budget speech in February 2020, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman spoke of a big push for the environment--more solar energy, a blue economy where fisheries would thrive and clean air plans enabled by the progressive closure of old and polluting thermal power plants. At the central level, such policies are mainly the domain of three ministries--the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF), the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), and the Ministry of Jal Shakti (MJS). In 2020-21, the MoEF was allotted a total of Rs 3,100 crore ($424.66 million), a 5% increase over the Rs 2,955 crore ($404.79 million) in the previous year. The MNRE was given Rs 5,753 crore ($788.08 million), a 9% rise over the Rs 5,254 crore ($719.73 million) allocated in 2019-20. The MJS that handles the Namami Gange project to clean the river, conserve other water bodies and support irrigation programmes was allocated Rs 8,960 crore ($1227.4 million)--an 8.6% rise from the Rs 8,245 crore ($1129.45 million) allotted the year before. In this pre-budget explainer for the environment sector, we outline how funds are allocated for government-run programmes, how the money is spent, and what more needs to be done for effective financing of the sector. Overall, budget allocations for environment programmes are often not sufficient, and when they are, the funds are badly managed, as we detail later. Most environment schemes are funded by both the Centre and to a lesser extent, the states, but they are largely delegated to and organised by state governments. The Centre funds certain state environment programmes relating to public health and sanitation, agriculture, preservation, protection and improvement of stock and prevention of animal diseases, water, land and so on. How programmes were funded The MoEF focused its 2020-21 budget on the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP, 14.8% of the MoEF budget), the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB, 3.2% of the MoEF budget), the Green India Mission - National Afforestation Programme (8% of the MoEF budget), and Project Tiger (9.6% of the MoEF budget). While a small percentage (3.7%) of the MoEF budget was given to environmental education and awareness (Rs 114.36 crore), research and development for conservation and development got Rs 7.50 crore (0.25% of the MoEF budget). The National Afforestation Programme was allocated Rs 246 crore, an increase of 37% from the Rs 179 crore the previous year. Launched in 2014, the scheme's aim is to protect, restore and develop forest resources with rural participation. In 2017-18, the Rs 47.8 crore allocated for the scheme was "grossly insufficient", a December 2018 Lok Sabha report had concluded. The afforestation carried out under the mission did not take into account soil and weather conditions when the trees were being planted, it had pointed out. The CPCB, which deals with pollution monitoring, was allocated Rs 100 crore like the year before. The overall budget for pollution control under NCAP was Rs 460 crore, the same as the previous year. In many Indian cities, air pollution levels regularly exceed "very poor" and "severe" on the Air Quality Index (AQI). In 2019, air pollution caused 1.67 million deaths in India, a 2019 Lancet report, 'Health and Economic Impact of Air Pollution in the States of India: The Global Burden of Disease Study 2019', found. The NCAP looks to target 122 'non-attainment' cities identified by the CPCB as not meeting pollution limits. Only 5% of cities and towns (339 out of 6,166) were being monitored for air quality, and less than 1% (only 60 out of 6,166) of cities had Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS), a January 2020 report by the Natural Resources Defence Council had stated. The Centre also slashed the funds allocated for adaptation and climate action under the National Adaptation Fund established in 2015 to meet the cost of adapting to climate change for states vulnerable to its effects. Its budget was Rs 350 crore for the year 2015-16 and 2016-17, which was then reduced to Rs 100 crore in 2019-20 and Rs 80 crore in 2020-21. Renewable energy push At the MNRE, the focus was on renewable wind and solar grid energy, with Rs 1,299 crore ($177.95 million) and Rs 2,149 crore ($294.38 million) allocated, respectively, in 2020-21. Solar power also features in the off-grid set-ups, especially in the Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan (KUSUM) programme. The scheme established in 2019 was expanded in 2020 to enable up to two million farmers to install standalone solar pumps. It was allocated Rs 300 crore for centralised grid projects, and about Rs 700 crore for off-grid projects. Despite the government assertion that India's solar power targets--100 GW by 2022--were achievable, an earlier IndiaSpend analysis had shown that weak infrastructure and the lack of cheap financing were a challenge. The Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency, a government-owned renewables financing institution, received Rs 13,351 crore ($1.83 billion) in 2020-21, an increase of 10.8% from Rs 12,053 crore ($1.66 billion) the previous fiscal year. "Overall, the key concern this year should be about a Green Recovery post-pandemic," Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, at the Centre for Science and Environment, said. "We should be looking at certain sectors that can push this recovery. There is also the need to have clean fuel priced better than coal, since there are now more liberal policies in the mining sector due to lowered environmental safeguards." River conservation The MJS finances the Namami Gange plan to rejuvenate and clean the Ganga, to which Rs 800 crore was allocated in 2020-21--7% more than the Rs 750 allocated the previous year. The Namami Gange project was started in June 2014 with an outlay of Rs 20,000 crore ($2.74 billion). During 2014-15 to 2016-17, only 8% to 63% of the revised estimate--the money estimated to have been spent at the end of the year--were utilised, the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) had found in 2017. By March 2020, only 37% projects (116 of 310) had been completed. MJS has also allocated funds for river basin management (Rs 200 crore), the National Hydrology Project (Rs 200 crore), Flood Management and Border Areas Programme (Rs 750 crore), and the Har Khet Ko Pani irrigation programme (Rs 1,050 crore). Vaibhav Chaturvedi, a fellow at the Council on Environment, Energy, and Water (CEEW), emphasised on the need to promote water-saving in agriculture through methods such as drip irrigation, and to move to better farming practices altogether. "There is a need to look at things from a less technocratic way. Larger reforms are needed in the agriculture sector," he said. The Flood Management and Border Areas Programme is a centrally funded programme managed by 25 states to ensure protection against floods. Of the 206 flood management programme projects evaluated during a C&AG performance audit of 2017, funds amounting to Rs 171.28 crore in six projects among five states were found to have not been utilised. Additionally, the revised budget estimates for Namami Gange in 2019-20 show 53% less expenditure than anticipated on the project, while other rivers got little attention, showed this IndiaSpend analysis. Way forward Budget allocations must be aligned with the nature of the problems that need addressing, said Amit Bhatt, executive director, integrated transport, World Resources Institute. "There is a difference between the budget allocation and the problems that really need to be addressed. For example, the Clean Air Plan has been allocated Rs 460 crore but when given to 100 cities, that's only Rs 4 crore per city. This isn't enough to tackle the whole problem, but can be used as seed capital to further the fight against air pollution," he said. Despite the lockdown and limited functioning of the transport and manufacturing industry, 2020 tied with 2016 as the hottest year on record in the world. This shows the extent of the environmental problem that needs tackling and funding, said Chaturvedi of CEEW. "The Supreme Court, for example, recently brought back the idea of installing smog towers in Delhi. While they are effective to a certain level, they are largely wasteful expenditure. Instead, this money could be used for better ways to reduce air pollution," he said.

Marico targets ₹100 cr revenue from honey brand by next year

Marico aims to fetch revenue of ₹100 crore from its Saffola brand of packaged honey by next year, benefitting from the recent claims around the purity of its honey NEW DELHI : Fast-moving consumer goods company Marico Ltd aims to fetch revenue of ₹100 crore from its Saffola brand of packaged honey by next year, benefitting from the recent claims around the purity of its honey, and plans to reinforce this with greater efforts to expand its packaged and health foods offerings. “Our aspiration is to touch the ₹100 crore mark in revenues by next year, which will make it one of the fastest ₹100 crore journey in the mid-sized foods category, considering that we extended this brand nationally only in November-December 2020," Saugata Gupta, managing director and chief executive officer, Marico, told investors in an earnings call on Thursday. Alibaba’s projected to unveil its slowest pace of third-quarter sales growth in five years on Feb. 2 while it confronts potentially the biggest crisis of its two-decade existence. Uncertainty began in November when regulators first torpedoed Ant Group Co.’s record initial public offering, then launched a probe into the e-commerce firm. Marico targets ₹100 cr revenue from honey brand by next year Saffola honey was launched in June 2020, at a time of rising demand for health and immunity-building products. In December, a Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) report said several Indian honey brands such as Dabur, Patanjali, and Emami’s Zandu were adulterated with sugar syrup according to the globally accepted nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) test. Saffola was one of the brands that cleared the test. Demand for Marico’s honey is much ahead of estimates, Gupta said. The brand that was largely rolled out across e-commerce and modern trade channels, has since commenced distribution in general trade. The brand faced some capacity problems in December and January, which have now been resolved. “Saffola honey is ramping up very well, much ahead of our launch estimates. Looking at offtake trends, our growth was limited by supply-led capacity constraints, which we plan to overcome in the next few quarters. In honey, we have reached close to double-digit market share in modern trade chains and crossed 20% market share in e-commerce. These two channels are over-indexed in the honey category," Gupta said. The move will set the pace for Marico to expand its foods portfolio. The maker of Parachute hair oil and Saffola oats has set a target of achieving ₹400-500 crore in sales from packaged foods in the next fiscal

Marico targets ?100 cr revenue from honey brand by next year

Marico aims to fetch revenue of ?100 crore from its Saffola brand of packaged honey by next year, benefitting from the recent claims around the purity of its honey NEW DELHI : Fast-moving consumer goods company Marico Ltd aims to fetch revenue of ?100 crore from its Saffola brand of packaged honey by next year, benefitting from the recent claims around the purity of its honey, and plans to reinforce this with greater efforts to expand its packaged and health foods offerings. “Our aspiration is to touch the ?100 crore mark in revenues by next year, which will make it one of the fastest ?100 crore journey in the mid-sized foods category, considering that we extended this brand nationally only in November-December 2020," Saugata Gupta, managing director and chief executive officer, Marico, told investors in an earnings call on Thursday. Alibaba’s projected to unveil its slowest pace of third-quarter sales growth in five years on Feb. 2 while it confronts potentially the biggest crisis of its two-decade existence. Uncertainty began in November when regulators first torpedoed Ant Group Co.’s record initial public offering, then launched a probe into the e-commerce firm. Marico targets ?100 cr revenue from honey brand by next year Saffola honey was launched in June 2020, at a time of rising demand for health and immunity-building products. In December, a Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) report said several Indian honey brands such as Dabur, Patanjali, and Emami’s Zandu were adulterated with sugar syrup according to the globally accepted nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) test. Saffola was one of the brands that cleared the test. Demand for Marico’s honey is much ahead of estimates, Gupta said. The brand that was largely rolled out across e-commerce and modern trade channels, has since commenced distribution in general trade. The brand faced some capacity problems in December and January, which have now been resolved. “Saffola honey is ramping up very well, much ahead of our launch estimates. Looking at offtake trends, our growth was limited by supply-led capacity constraints, which we plan to overcome in the next few quarters. In honey, we have reached close to double-digit market share in modern trade chains and crossed 20% market share in e-commerce. These two channels are over-indexed in the honey category," Gupta said. The move will set the pace for Marico to expand its foods portfolio. The maker of Parachute hair oil and Saffola oats has set a target of achieving ?400-500 crore in sales from packaged foods in the next fiscal

Petrol, diesel prices hit all-time high in Kolkata; transport may be costlier

Petrol, diesel prices hit all-time high in Kolkata; transport may be costlier KOLKATA: The diesel price on Wednesday touched Rs 80.06 per litre in the city. The petrol price also inched towards Rs 90 per litre. Since both passenger and goods transportation is fuelled by diesel, the rise of its price will inevitably lead to revision of fare that will in turn pave the way for a spike in the prices of essential commodities. Diesel price in Kolkata on January 6 broke its past record price of Rs 77.59 per litre, which was recorded on October 16, 2018. The successive rise of diesel price has left the passenger transport segments like buses and cabs in the lurch. Private bus operators have already demanded a rollback of diesel price and introduction of GST, instead of multiple taxation. Both state transport undertaking (STU) and private bus operators have scaled down their operation to a great extent for non-viability of operations. “Unless the taxes on diesel are rolled back and the fare is revised immediately, the entire bus transit system will become moribund. After a point it will be next to impossible to revive the system,” said Tapan Bandyopadhyay, secretary, joint council of bus syndicates. “Kolkata has had a robust bus transit system. This was the reason why the number of private vehicles plying in the city is low in the city. But the absence of buses underlines a great danger. It will force passengers to use private vehicles. More private vehicles mean more traffic snarls, more choking of road intersections and more pollution,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director and transportation expert. The impact on the goods transportation is higher. “A spike in diesel price will increase the transportation cost of every commodity. The entire transport system in the country runs on diesel. If the government keeps adding taxes on diesel, the crucial balance will be lost,” said Subhas Chandra Bose, president, West Bengal Federation of Truck Operators' Associations.

Mahindra World School student Prasiddhi Singh conferred Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2021

Mahindra World School student Prasiddhi Singh conferred Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2021 Chennai: Prasiddhi Singh, a class III student of Mahindra World School at Mahindra World City, Chennai, has been honoured with the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar for her excellence in the field of Social Service. Prasiddhi is the youngest awardee and only child from Tamil Nadu state to receive this award under the category of Social Service. At the tender age of seven, Prasiddhi has already created 13 fruit forests across government schools, offices and public places and has planted over 13,500 fruit trees to feed birds, squirrels and provide fresh fruits to everyone. A recipient of multiple awards, Prasiddhi has also been featured in the India Book of Records as the youngest fruit forest creator in India. Founder of the Prasiddhi Forest Foundation, Prasiddhi has galvanized 10,000+ ecowarriors who are working towards fulfilling the vision of making our planet greener. Prasiddhi aspires to create a clean, green and healthy earth through her “G3 project” – Generate your Oxygen, Grow your own Food and Gift the Community. She is on a mission to plant one lakh fruit trees. Prasiddhi Singh said, “To receive such a high national honour has further motivated me to fulfill my aim of planting one lakh trees. I believe that these efforts will make a vital change to the country. I am grateful to my parents, teachers and my family of ecowarriors who made this possible. I hope this inspires many students across India to take up plantation drives and create a greener India.” Dr. Suganthi Medasani, Principal of Mahindra World School, said, “Prasiddhi has had a miraculous journey and we are very proud of her achievements. She has a profound knowledge about plants and trees and understands the value of trees even at such a young age. At Mahindra World School, we have been extremely supportive of students who want to pursue their passion. Apart from academic development, environment and biodiversity awareness is one value that we inculcate among students and we are happy that our values are being followed by our students.” Deeply committed to drive change, Prasiddhi has conducted over 20 global workshops, sessions and talks across schools, colleges and corporate offices. She has been a part of several biodiversity conservation initiatives like creating fruit forests, bird feeding & 3R plastic international workshops. Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Smriti Irani, Union Cabinet Minister for Textiles and Women & Child Development and Anand Mahindra, Chairman of Mahindra & Mahindra have lauded Prasiddhi’s efforts towards creating a greener planet. The Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar is India’s highest civilian honour bestowed upon exceptional achievers under the age of 18. In 2021, 32 children across the nation have been recognised for their outstanding accomplishments in the fields of innovation, scholastics, sports, arts and culture, social service and bravery. The Mahindra World School spans a 5-acre sprawling campus at Mahindra World City, Chennai and has been set up by the Mahindra World School Educational Trust. Mahindra World School is a co-educational institution which follows the CBSE syllabus and accords equal importance to academic achievements and the holistic development of students. Self-discipline, time management and kindness are some of the virtues inculcated in students by conducting exams without an invigilator. Mahindra World School is IGBC Platinum Certified. It is also a recipient of the International School Award initiated by the British Council and the Green School Award by Centre for Science and Environment. Mahindra World School has been ranked fifth among schools across India for sanitation. Mahindra World School has been ranked first in the district, 27th in the state of Tamil Nadu and 143rd nationally, by Education World Ranking Magazine for two consecutive years.

Pollution in Patna grave than previous seasons

The city air quality started deteriorating early this winter compared to 2019, according to an analysis of winter air pollution in the cities in the Indo-Gangetic plains (IGP) by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). This analysis is a part of CSE’s air quality tracker initiative to study the changing patterns of air quality trends in the country. The survey was conducted in 26 cities in the IGP. The Patna air quality started deteriorating from October 1 while the city witnessed the polluting week from December 3 to 6 when the air quality index (AQI) oscillated between 370 and 403, which was in ‘very poor’ and ‘severe’ categories. As per the report, the number of days with PM2.5 (particulate matter less than 2.5 microns) concentration meeting the standard was considerably low this winter with more ‘poor’ or ‘ very poor’ days. The city witnessed 11 severe days, 52 very poor, 19 poor, nine moderate, and only six satisfactory days between October 1, 2020, and January 10, 2021. During the same period in 2019, Patna had 13 severe days, 60 very poor, five poor, three moderate and eight satisfactory days. The average level of PM2.5 was lowest during last summer and monsoon due to the lockdown when Patna had its cleanest week in June and July. However, after the respective cleanest week, the weekly average of PM2.5 level in Patna rose to 11 times with the onset of winter from October, the report says. Pradhan Parth Sarthi, a professor of environmental science at Central University of South Bihar (CUSB), said the change in air pollution is dependent on the meteorological conditions. “During the lockdown period, pollution from vehicles, factories, construction activities was almost negligible. Once the economic activities resumed, the air pollution level deteriorated,” he said. A senior program officer at the Centre for Environment and Energy Development (CEED), Ankita Jyoti, said air quality in Patna has been deteriorating since 2015, but the parameters remain the same with minor fluctuations. “Besides meteorological conditions, the other contributors are brick kilns, vehicular movement, dust from construction sites, and burning of fuel. Due to non-implementation of the clean action plan, we have witnessed a fall in standard days,” she said.

Patna pollution: More ‘poor’ days this winter than in 2019

Patna pollution: More ‘poor’ days this winter than in 2019 PATNA: The city air quality started deteriorating early this winter compared to 2019, according to an analysis of winter air pollution in the cities in the Indo-Gangetic plains (IGP) by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). This analysis is a part of CSE’s air quality tracker initiative to study the changing patterns of air quality trends in the country. The survey was conducted in 26 cities in the IGP. The Patna air quality started deteriorating from October 1 while the city witnessed the polluting week from December 3 to 6 when the air quality index (AQI) oscillated between 370 and 403, which was in ‘very poor’ and ‘severe’ categories. As per the report, the number of days with PM2.5 (particulate matter less than 2.5 microns) concentration meeting the standard was considerably low this winter with more ‘poor’ or ‘ very poor’ days. The city witnessed 11 severe days, 52 very poor, 19 poor, nine moderate and only six satisfactory days between October 1, 2020 and January 10, 2021. During the same period in 2019, Patna had 13 severe days, 60 very poor, five poor, three moderate and eight satisfactory days. The average level of PM2.5 was lowest during last summer and monsoon due to the lockdown when Patna had its cleanest week in June and July. However, after the respective cleanest week, the weekly average of PM2.5 level in Patna rose to 11 times with the onset of winter from October, the report says. Pradhan Parth Sarthi, a professor of environmental science at Central University of South Bihar (CUSB), said the change in air pollution is dependent on the meteorological conditions. “During the lockdown period, pollution from vehicles, factory, construction activities was almost negligible. Once the economic activities resumed, the air pollution level deteriorated,” he said. Senior program officer at Centre for Environment and Energy Development (CEED), Ankita Jyoti, said air quality in Patna has been deteriorating since 2015, but the parameters remain the same with minor fluctuations. “Besides meteorological conditions, the other contributors are brick kilns, vehicular movement, dust from construction sites and burning of fuel. Due to non-implementation of clean action plan, we have witnessed fall in standard days,” she said.

भारत में साफ हवा के ललए बजट में पैसे और पारदलशिता की माांग

भारत में लॉकडाउन और वायु प्रिूर्ण को कम करने के सलए रकार द्वारा उ ाए गए किमों े प्रिूर्ण कम जरूर हुआ है लेककन जस्थत गिंभीर बनी हुई है. हवा में पादटषकुलेट मैटर अब भी ुरक्षक्षत मानकों े बहुत ज्यािा हैं. फरवरी 2020 में बजट पेश करते हुये र्वत्तमिंत्री ननमषला ीतारमण ने नेशनल क्लीन एयर प्रोग्राम यानी एन ीएपी के सलए 4,400 करोड रुपये आविंदटत ककए. एन ीएपी जनवरी 2019 में शुरू ककया गया कायषक्रम है जज के तहत िेश के 122 शहरों की हवा ाल 2024 तक 20%-30% ाफ करने का लक्ष्य रखा गया है. ि लाख े अधधक आबािी वाले इन शहरों में प्रिूर्ण के सलए पीएम -10 कणों की हवा में मौजूिगी को आधार बनाया गया है. रकार ने पिंद्रहवें र्वत्त आयोग की स फाररश पर नविंबर में 42 शहरों के सलए 2,200 करोड रुपया ररलीज भी ककया. हालािंकक अभी केंद्र रकार ने कहा है कक राज्यों को बाकी पै ा एन ीएपी में उनके "प्रिशषन के आधार पर समलेगा,” लेककन राज्यों के पा प्रिूर्ण कम करने के सलए क्या रणनीनत है यह अभी ाफ नहीिं है. ऐ े में वाल है कक बजट में रकार क्या ऐ े किम उ ाएगी जज े अनत प्रिूर्र्त शहरों में हवा ाफ हो के. अब भी जानलेवा हैं प्रिूर्ण के स्तर हवा में मौजूि पीएम 2.5 और पीएम 10 कणों (पादटषकुलेट मैटर) को प्रिूर्ण का एक बडा पैमाना माना जाता है. हालािंकक र्पछले कुछ वक्त में िेश के कई शहरों में प्रिूर्ण का स्तर धगरा है लेककन अब भी पादटषकुलेट मैटर ुरक्षक्षत मानकों े काफी ऊपर है. सम ाल के तौर पर केंद्रीय प्रिूर्ण किंिोल बोडष यानी ीपी ीबी द्वारा पीएम–10 के सलए ुरक्षक्षत ालाना स्तर 60 माइक्रोग्राम/घन मीटर है लेककन र्पछले ाल कोरोना महामारी के कारण लागू लॉकडाउन के बावजूि कई शहरों यह इ ुरक्षक्षत ीमा े काफी ऊपर था. दिल्ली में पीएम-10 का ालाना स्तर 81, लखनऊ में 216, पटना में 224 और गाजजयाबाि में 104 माइक्रोग्राम प्रनत घनमीटर रहा. हालािंकक कुछ शहरों में र्पछले ाल यह आिंकडा ुरक्षक्षत स्तर पर भी रहा जै े बिंगलुरू में 29, भोपाल में 59, कोलकाता में 40 और मुिंबई में 41 पर रहा. महत्वपूणष है कक ीपी ीबी के तय मानक र्वचव स्वास््य िंग न के मानकों की तुलना में काफी ढीले हैं. Indien Smog in Neu Delhi स्मॉग में डूबे शहर इ ी तरह पीएम 2.5 जज का ुरक्षक्षत ालाना स्तर भारत में 40 माइक्रोग्राम प्रनत घन मीटर है वह भी र्पछले ाल कई शहरों में काफी ऊपर था. दिल्ली में यह ालाना आिंकडा 94, लखनऊ में 89 और पटना में 66 रहा. इ ाल दिषयों में एयर क्वॉसलटी इिंडेक् का िैननक स्तर तो कई शहरों में 500 को भी पार कर गया. दिल्ली जस्थत ेंटर फॉर पॉसल ी रर चष के फेलो डॉ िंतोर् हरीश एन ीएपी के तहत दिए गए फिंड को पयाषप्त नहीिं मानते और कहते हैं कक वायु प्रिूर्ण े लडने के सलए ऐ ा र्वत्तीय हयोग 10 लाख े कम आबािी वाले शहरों के सलए भी होना चादहए क्योंकक छोटे शहरों और गािंवों में भी प्रिूर्ण तेजी े बढ रहा है. क्या ाफ ईंधन पर होगा जोर उधर पयाषवरण पर काम करने वाली िंस्था ेंटर फॉर ाइिं एिंड इिंवायरेन्मेंट ( ीए ई) ने रकार े मािंग की है कक वह दिल्ली और उ के आ पा के इलाकों में ाफ ईंधन के प्रयोग को प्रोत् ादहत करे. र्वत्तमिंत्री को बजट े ीक पहले सलखे पत्र में ीए ई ने मािंग की है कक उद्योगों को स्ती बबजली िी जाए और नेचुरल गै पर जीए टी 5% की जाए ताकक कोयले की खपत घट के. ीए ई के मुताबबक जज तरह ाल 2000 में ब ों को डीजल की जगह ीएनजी पर चलाना अननवायष ककया गया और कफर उद्योगों और बबजलीघरों के सलए कोयले, पैटकोक और फने ऑइल की जगह नेचुरल गै पर चलाने की पाबिंिी लगाई गई उ ी तरह अब रकार को एक बार कफर दिल्ली और उ के आ पा कोयले के प्रयोग को कम करने के सलए किम उ ाने होंगे. ीए ई का शोध बताता है कक दिल्ली के आ पा के 7 जजलों गाजजयाबाि, सभवानी, ोनीपत, पानीपत, फरीिाबाि, अलवर और गुरुग्राम में इिंडस्िी कोयले का जमकर इस्तेमाल कर रही है. इन जजलों में उद्योग हर ाल कुल 14 लाख टन े अधधक कोयला जला रहे हैं जबकक नेचुरल गै स फष 2 लाख टन ही इस्तेमाल हो रही है. ीए ई की ननिेशक ुनीता नारायण के अनु ार, "नेचुरल गै पर अभी भारी टैक् लगता है. इ े खरीिने और बेचने िोनों ही वक्त टैक् िेना पडता है यानी प्रोडक्ट के अिंनतम मूल्य पर टैक् 18% तक हो कता है. कोयले के र्वपरीत गै अभी जीए टी में शासमल नहीिं है इ सलए इ े 5% जीए टी स्लैब (18% वैट व अन्य टैक् के बजाय) में शासमल ककए जाने की जरूरत है.” Luftreiniger in Neu Delhi installliert राजधानी में हवा को ाफ करने के प्रया डॉ िंतोर् हरीश कहते हैं कक बाहरी प्रिूर्ण के ाथ ाथ इनडोर एयर पॉल्यूशन पर काबू पाना भी बहुत जरूरी है और बजट में इ े लेकर रकार को कक्रयता दिखानी चादहए. डॉ िंतोर् के मुताबबक, "उज्ज्वला योजना ने िेश में र ोई गै कनेक्शनों की िंख्या में बहुत इजाफा ककया है जो अच्छी बात है लेककन अब रकार को चादहए कक वह गरीबों के सलए र ोई गै का इस्तेमाल भी मुमककन बनाए. र ोई गै जब् डी का ढािंचा ऐ ा हो