Babul Supriyo refutes reports of 1 lakh children dying due to toxic air in 2016

Union minister and BJP leader Babul Supriyo on Friday refuted the reports of more than 1 lakh children dying due to the country's toxic air in 2016.

"The studies are based on secondary data and extrapolation of findings based on small sample size to a larger population. These estimates do not depict the actual status as there are no conclusive data available in the country to establish direct correlation of death/disease exclusively due to pollution," a release quoted Supriyo as saying.

The release further said health effects of pollution, including air pollution, are the synergistic manifestation of factors which include food habits, occupational habits, socio-economic status, medical history, immunity, heredity, etc., of the individuals.

Supriyo also mentioned measures taken by the government to combat air pollution in the country.

Outlining the measures, the leader said, "The emission standards for industrial sectors were revised from time to time and monitoring network for assessment of ambient air quality was also set up."

The leader also stated that notifications of six waste management rules covering solid waste, plastic waste, e-waste, bio-medical waste, construction and demolition waste and hazardous wastes was issued in 2016.

"Further, National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) was launched in January 2019 to tackle the problem of air pollution in a comprehensive manner with targets to achieve 20 to 30 per cent reduction in PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations by 2024. The plan includes 102 non- attainment cities, across 23 States and Union Territories," Supriyo said.