We have to remember that air pollution is a regional issue. In 2016, it started surveying critically polluted areas again to rate them as per the new guidelines but those results are not out yet. It's even more important to budget for these critically polluted areas because most thermal power plants are located here. India has 43 clusters classified as critically polluted where, not just air but water and soil too are marred with toxic heavy metals and pollutants. The current policy interest or the budget allocations sadly do not reflect the need to tackle pollution in these areas," added Sudhir.

Source: Economic Times January 31, 2018 13:41 UTC