JD(U) distances itself from ex-MP KC Tyagi's request for Bharat Ratna to Nitish
Patna (PTI): The JD(U) on Saturday distanced itself from its ex-MP KC Tyagi's request for Bharat Ratna to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, stating that it was his personal view and "not in line with the party's ideology".
In a letter to PM Narendra Modi on Thursday, Tyagi had called Kumar a "precious gem" of the socialist movement, and worthy of the highest civilian honour in the country.
Asked about the letter, JD(U) national spokesperson Rajeev Ranjan Prasad said, "Tyagi has made several statements in the recent past which have not been in line with the party's ideology and not the official stand. All statements made by him shall be deemed to have been made in his personal capacity."
Office bearers in the JD(U) are "not sure whether Tyagi continues to hold any post in the party", he said.
In the letter to the PM, Tyagi had said, "Nitish Kumar, a precious gem of the socialist movement, is worthy of the highest civilian honour. I hope and request that our beloved leader be bestowed with this honour so that history remembers your efforts."
Tyagi has been with the JD(U) since its inception two and a half decades ago.
A protege of former prime minister Chaudhary Charan Singh, Tyagi was also known to be close to Sharad Yadav, a former JD(U) president who was disowned by the party in 2017.
Yadav later went on to float another outfit and merged it with RJD shortly before his death, while Tyagi chose to align with Kumar.
While in JD(U), he enjoyed a Rajya Sabha term that ended in 2016 and continued to hold key party posts, including principal national general secretary.
Meanwhile, JD(U) leaders, who spoke on condition of anonymity, pointed out "while a Bharat Ratna for our leader will make party cadres proud, but the fact remains that demands to the effect have, so far, always been made by those who have never been well-wishers of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar".
They cited the examples of NDA detractors like Union ministers Chirag Paswan, who heads Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), and BJP's Giriraj Singh, besides RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, a former Bihar Deputy CM who is now the leader of the opposition.
The party leaders wondered if, by pressing the demand for the highest civilian honour, those not known to have good equations with Kumar were indirectly trying to suggest that the longest serving CM of Bihar, who has held the post for nearly 20 years, should now hang up his boots.
JJD founder Tej Pratap Yadav also demanded Bharat Ratna for his father, Lalu Prasad.
"It is the demand of our party that Lalu Prasad should, too, be awarded with Bharat Ratna," he said.
"It is said that my father and Nitish Kumar used to live like brothers. Therefore, Bharat Ratna should be awarded to both of them," he added.
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Air quality a nationwide crisis, govt response exceedingly ineffective:Cong
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Sunday cited a report to claim that air quality is a nation-wide, structural crisis for which the government response is "exceedingly ineffective and inadequate", as it demanded a thorough reform of the National Clear Air Programme.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the NCAP propagated as the National Clear Air Programme is actually another type of NCAP - "Notional Clear Air Programme".
The former environment minister said a new analysis by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) has now confirmed what was always India's "worst-kept secret that the air quality is a nation-wide, structural crisis for which the government response is exceedingly ineffective and inadequate".
Using satellite data, the study found that nearly 44 per cent of Indian cities that is 1,787 out of 4,041 statutory towns assessed have chronic air pollution, with annual PM2.5 levels consistently exceeding the national standard over five years (2019-2024, excluding 2020), Ramesh said in a statement.
Pointing out that the report also highlighted the ineffectiveness of the NCAP, the Congress leader said that despite the scale of the problem (1,787 towns), only 130 cities are covered under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).
Of these 130 cities, 28 still lack continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations (CAAQMS), he claimed.
Among the 102 cities with monitoring infrastructure, 100 reported PM10 levels of 80 per cent or higher, Ramesh said, adding that in totality, NCAP currently addresses only 4 per cent of India's chronically polluted cities
NCAP, propagated as the National Clear Air Programme, is actually another type of NCAP--Notional Clear Air Programme, he said and asserted that it now needs a thorough overhaul and reform.
"The first step must be to acknowledge the public health crisis linked to air pollution across wide swathes of India. Consequently, given this crisis, we must revisit and totally revamp both the Air Pollution (Control and Prevention) Act of 1981 and the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) put into effect in November 2009," Ramesh said.
As per the NAAQS the permissible concentration of fine particulate matter is 60 ug/m3 for a 24-hour period, and 40 ug/m3 annually versus the guidelines of less than 15 ug/m3 for a 24-hour period and 5 ug/m3 annually set by the WHO, he pointed out.
Ramesh urged the government to drastically increase the funds made available under the NCAP.
"The current budget, inclusive of NCAP funding and the 15th Finance Commission's grants, is about Rs. 10,500 crore, spread across 131 cities! Our cities need at least 10-20 times more funding. NCAP must be made a Rs 25,000 crore programme and spread across the 1,000 most polluted towns in the country," he said.
The NCAP must adopt measurement of PM 2.5 levels as the yardstick for performance NCAP must reorient its focus to key sources of emissions -- burning of solid fuels, vehicular emissions, and industrial emissions, the former environment minister said.
"The NCAP must be given legal backing, an enforcement mechanism, and serious data monitoring capacity for every Indian city, beyond the current focus only on 'non- attainment' cities," he argued.
Ramesh asserted that air pollution norms for coal power plants must be enforced immediately.
All power plants must install a Fluoride Gas Desulfurizer (FGD) by the end of 2026, he said.
"The National Green Tribunal's independence must be restored, and the anti-people environmental law amendments of the last 10 years must be rolled back," Ramesh said.
"Twice so far in Parliament -- first on 29th July 2024 and then on 9th December 2025 -- the Modi Government has tried to downplay the health impact of air pollution. The Modi Government is not blind to the truth, it is only attempting to cover up the scale of its incompetence and negligence," the Congress leader alleged.
