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No official data yet on pollution linked mortality

Last week, the Global Air Report by Boston-based Health Effects Institute and Washington University's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation had said that more than a million people have died due to pollution linked diseases in India

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The Environment Ministry said particulate matter levels are the government’s chief concern
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Days after he questioned a global report's alarming findings on pollution-related mortalities in India, Union Environment Minister Anil Dave admitted that the Centre does not have a definitive study or data on deaths caused by toxic air. He said the Environment Ministry is working with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to "assess the trends and impact".

Last week, the Global Air Report by Boston-based Health Effects Institute and Washington University's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation had said that more than a million people have died due to pollution linked diseases in India, more than even China. Reacting to the report, Dave had said on Friday that "India relies and acts on its own reports". He later sought to clear his ministry's stance on this issue on Tuesday.

"It is characteristic of Indians to get affected by all things foreign. But we too have good, capable institutions. We should believe and trust in our numbers and statistics. That does not mean that we should not disbelieve global and foreign institutions," Dave said.

On Monday, a note issued by Dave's ministry, however, had a different view. "Recently, a number of reports have appeared in media on studies linking deaths to air pollution. These reports are often based on extrapolations without due scientific validation. There is need for caution before arriving at any conclusion," it said.

"We are not saying these reports are correct or incorrect. We are not dismissing or ignoring these reports. But these reports should not be considered as the last word on the issue," Dave said.

The environment minister also put the onus of implementing pollution curbing measures on urban local bodies, and said that improving air-quality across cities is a 365-day job. "The issue of air-quality is not rocket science. We have to do the basics and local bodies have to play a major, decisive role in cleaning up the air," he said.

On the radar

The ministry has identified 94 cities in the country, where the air quality is largely above permissible limits based on an assessment between 2011-2015. Maharashtra has the highest number of polluted cities at 17, followed by Uttar Pradesh's 15 cities.

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