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In a bid to combat India's air pollution crisis, experts and policymakers gathered at the India International Centre for a high-level round table led by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor and held discussions on urgent measures to combat the country's worsening air pollution crisis.
Taking to his official handle on X, Shashi Tharoor posted, "On Thursday evening in Delhi, I chaired the sixth in the series of roundtables I've been organising since 2017 on my initiative, under the auspices of Air Quality Asia, to focus MPs' and stakeholders' attention on the air pollution crisis in our country." "While different organisations, including@teriinand@orfonline, have partnered with me in the past, this time@GHSand Dr Soumya Swaminathan came on board for an excellent discussion, attended by eleven MPs (after last-minute dropouts) and a dozen experts. Many areas of consensus emerged and there was strong agreement on the need to move forward," read his post. According to an official release, the event, part of an ongoing initiative launched in 2017 by Tharoor, highlighted urgent solutions, including the nationwide shift to cleaner cooking fuels like LPG. With air pollution now responsible for millions of premature deaths, experts emphasized the urgent need to accelerate the transition to cleaner cooking fuels like LPG-key in reducing both household and ambient air pollution, which contributes an average of 30 per cent of the problem. A proposal for creating a Council of State Environment Ministers (SEM) to foster collaboration across states in tackling air pollution and other environmental health risks was also discussed in the meeting. Moderated by Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Chairperson of the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation and Co-chair of Our Common Air, the event drew a distinguished assembly of changemakers. Members of Parliament, including Dr Amar Singh, Dr T. Sumathy Alias Thamizhachi Thangapandian were also present among others. Joining the discussion were leading experts in air quality and public policy. Their contributions provided a robust scientific and technical foundation for the discussions, reinforcing the event's focus on evidence-based solutions. The keynote address focused on the significant health impacts of air pollution, particularly on children, adults, and maternal health. Experts proposed sector-specific actions, strengthening local air quality monitoring, and improving public access to real-time data. They emphasized transitioning to cleaner cooking fuels like LPG to reduce household and ambient air pollution. Recognizing the disproportionate impact on vulnerable groups, the address called for targeted interventions to mitigate the long-term health effects of poor air quality. An expert presentation called for coordinated action at both the Union and State levels. It proposed creating a CSEM, modelled along with the GST Council, to share best practices and tackle challenges across sectors like transportation, agriculture, and energy. The Council would focus on emission inventories, climate finance, and green markets, harmonizing efforts across states. This initiative aims to ensure uniformity in policy implementation while promoting innovation in sustainable practices and could address environmental risks other than air pollution as well. Other proposals discussed included the creation of a new Parliamentary Forum to oversee the implementation of air quality policies at both the Union and State levels, ensuring coordinated and sustained action. Additionally, experts called for stronger incentives for adopting green technologies, particularly in the industrial and agricultural sectors, to reduce emissions at their source. There was also a proposal to create dedicated funding mechanisms to support state-level air quality initiatives and enhance local air pollution control capacities. The roundtable reaffirmed the urgent need for multi-sectoral collaboration, positioning India as a global leader in developing scalable and innovative solutions to tackle air pollution. With the right political will, expert insight, and public involvement, India has the potential to lead the world in combating air pollution. Participants stressed that now is the time for bold action -cleaner air is within reach, but only through decisive, collective efforts can India set a global benchmark for air quality and public health. They also committed themselves to pursuing further initiatives to spread awareness and promote decisive action to tackle the nation's air quality challenges. (ANI)
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