In the latest turn of events, the Union Environment Minister, Anil Madhav Dave, told the Rajya Sabha that there are no credible studies linking air pollution to death. Take a minute to let that sink in.
Maybe Dave ji needs to check with the World Health Organisation (you know, that major organisation that keeps an eye on the major health concerns on the planet). According to the WHO, around 6.5 million people die from air pollution-related health issues globally every year, and half a million of those deaths are in India.
So what is the minister smoking?! Clearly it’s not the polluted air of the capital.
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