Bombay HC to form high-powered committee on Mumbai air pollution
Mumbai (PTI): The Bombay High Court on Thursday said it would form a high-powered committee to oversee the compliance of measures to tackle air pollution in the Mumbai region, noting that the efforts taken so far by state and civic authorities are insufficient.
It was not criticizing anyone but wanted to ensure that "people should live in pure air," said a division bench led by Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar.
The HC had in October 2023 taken suo motu cognizance of the rising pollution in the metropolis "which was ranging between good, satisfactory, moderate poor, very poor and severe", the bench noted.
Directions were issued by the court on November 6, 2023, and suggestions were made for short-term, mid-term and long-term measures.
Since then, the HC has made observations expressing dissatisfaction about the steps taken by the Mumbai and Navi Mumbai civic bodies, the judges said.
The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) is simply "sailing on its affidavits," but the steps purportedly taken by it were not sufficient, the court stated.
Air pollution in Mumbai has not decreased, in fact it was reported to be very severe in December, said the judges.
"We have apprised ourselves of the previous orders, and find that compliances so far made by (municipal) corporations and MPCB are not sufficient and satisfactory," the court said.
The authorities might have taken serious steps but their results were not visible, it added.
The court expressed inability to examine all the affidavits filed by the municipal corporations and MPCB and reports submitted by an expert committee (formed in 2023), citing the "rising number of dockets and limited hours and time."
After hearing all the parties at length, the high court decided to form a high-powered committee led by a former Supreme Court judge to monitor the compliance of measures to tackle air pollution in Mumbai and the surrounding areas.
The committee should meet on a daily basis, the court said, adding that its members should be provided necessary facilities.
The bench also referred to a suggestion that the citizens affected by pollution should be compensated.
The lawyer for the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation said there are existing statutory bodies to look into this aspect.
"Maybe there are statutory bodies formed in Maharashtra, but then we have not come across any suggestion or action taken by such a body in the present proceedings..." the court said, adding that it was inclined to give "some powers" to the committee.
The court is expected to finalize the names of the committee members in its written order.
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India’s internet user base crosses 950 million in 2025: IAMAI report
Bengaluru (PTI): India’s internet user base crossed 950 million in 2025, driven largely by rapid growth in rural connectivity, rising short-video consumption, and increasing adoption of AI, according to a report released by IAMAI on Thursday.
The report also revealed that rural India accounts for 57 per cent of India’s active internet users, i.e, approximately 548 million active users.
The ‘Internet in India Report 2025,’ jointly prepared by Internet and Mobile Association of India and KANTAR, which highlights these trends, was released at the India Digital Summit in the presence of Manjula N, Secretary to the Government, Department of Electronics, IT/BT and Science & Technology, Government of Karnataka.
According to the report, India now has 958 million Active Internet Users (AIU), marking an approximate 8 per cent year‑on‑year growth, reinforcing India’s position as one of the world’s largest and fastest‑evolving digital markets.
It also reveals that 44 per cent of users have engaged with AI‑enabled features such as voice search, image‑based search, chatbots, and AI filters.
"This growth of internet users continues to be led decisively by rural India, which is now home to approximately 548 million active internet users," the report said.
Rural regions now account for over 57 per cent of India’s active internet users and are growing at nearly four times the pace of urban India, signalling a structural shift in where and how digital adoption is expanding, it added.
The report highlighted that artificial intelligence has reached mass adoption in India, with 44 per cent of users engaging with AI-enabled features such as voice search, image-based search, chatbots, and AI filters.
"Usage is highest among younger audiences, with 57 per cent of users aged 15-24 years and 52 per cent of those aged 25-44 years reporting AI usage in the past year," it added.
The report further revealed that short-video consumption has emerged as a key growth driver within this expanding user base.
It noted that in 2025, 588 million (61 per cent) internet users consumed short-video content, with rural users marginally outnumbering urban users. Adoption is strongest among younger audiences, cementing their role as a key driver of digital engagement.
In the statement, citing the report, IAMAI said that quick commerce is leading a fundamental shift in how Indians shop online, with social commerce close behind, as the e‑commerce ecosystem expands beyond traditional online marketplaces.
Among urban users, 230 million people (56 per cent of the urban active internet base) shopped online in the past year, with quick commerce and social commerce gaining prominence alongside established marketplaces, it added.
IAMAI also noted that multi-device usage is on the rise, with India now having 193 million multi-device internet users, representing 20 per cent of all active internet users, up from 165 million in 2024.
"Urban adoption stands at 31 per cent, while rural India is catching up at 12 per cent. Shared device usage continues to be a key enabler of digital access: 18 per cent of internet users go online through someone else’s mobile device, and nearly 80 per cent of these users are based in rural areas," the report stated.
It also revealed that despite strong momentum, 38 per cent of India’s population—about 579 million people—remains non-active internet users.
"However, this proportion has been steadily declining year after year, signalling substantial headroom for the continued expansion of India’s digital economy," it said.
The 2025 edition of the Internet in India report is based on a sample of nearly 100,000 consumers across more than 400 towns and over 1,000 villages, it added.
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