Jairam Ramesh slams NITI Aayog over 'call for power plants to pause installing sulphur reducing gear'

Jairam Ramesh. File Pic

Congress leader and former Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh on Friday said sulphur dioxide emissions from power plants contributed significantly to air pollution and any argument suggesting that such emissions were of no concern to public health in India was ridiculous.

His remarks came over a media report, which claimed the NITI Aayog had proposed halting the fitting of equipment to cut sulphur emissions at coal-fired power plants.

However, there was no official word from the NITI Aayog.

In a post on X, Ramesh said India was the world's largest emitter of sulphur dioxide and these emissions from power plants contributed significantly to air pollution.

"A decision had been taken earlier that the power plants must install fluoride gas desulpharisers. First, a deadline of 2017 was fixed. This was later extended to 2026. Now it appears that the all-knowing NITI Aayog wants the deadline scrapped altogether," the Congress general secretary in-charge communications said.

"To argue that sulphur dioxide emissions are of no concern to public health in India is ridiculous -- especially at a time when the consequences of pollution are so visibly evident across India's cities," Ramesh said.

India in its most precarious economic situation in many years: Cong slams govt

Asserting that India is in its "most precarious and difficult" economic situation in many years, the Congress on Wednesday said wage stagnation, inflation and inequality are undermining consumption growth in the country.

These chokepoints will strangulate growth in the years to come if not taken seriously now, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said in a statement.

He said that for the past three decades, the India growth story was one of consumption growth the story of crores of families escaping poverty and entering the middle class, newly able to afford products and acquire assets.

It was the sign of a thriving economy, one that was growing rapidly and distributing its gains widely, the Congress leader said.

In the last 10 years, India's consumption story has now gone in reverse swing and emerged as the biggest pain point for the Indian economy. India Inc. has now joined the chorus, with a leading CEO even going so far as to say that the middle class in India is "shrinking", he said.

Ramesh said the reasons for this slowdown are clear ¿ stagnant wages, high inflation and inequality.

(With inputs from Agencies)