India's air pollution crisis now full-blown assault on brains, bodies: Congress
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Sunday said India's air pollution crisis is no longer just a respiratory issue but a full-blown assault on our brains and bodies, as it called for radically revising the National Clean Air Programme and urgently updating the National Ambient Air Quality Standards.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh asserted that air pollution is a public health catastrophe and a national security threat to our society, healthcare system, and future workforce.
"India's air pollution crisis is no longer just a respiratory issue. It's now a full-blown assault on our brains and bodies," the former environment minister said on X.
In 2023, approximately 2 million deaths in India were linked to air pollution - a 43% jump since 2000, Ramesh pointed out.
Nearly 9 in 10 of these deaths were attributed to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as heart disease, lung cancer, diabetes and now even dementia, he said
India records around 186 air-pollution deaths per 100,000 people, over 10 times the rate in high-income countries (17/100,000), Ramesh said.
He further pointed out that air pollution accounts for about 70% of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) deaths, about 33% of lung cancer deaths, about 25% of heart-disease deaths, and about 20% of diabetes deaths in India.
Exposure to fine particulate matter measured in micrograms per cubic metre (PM2.5) has now also been linked to brain damage and accelerated cognitive decline, and globally about 626,000 dementia deaths in 2023 were tied to air pollution, he said.
"Air pollution is a public-health catastrophe and a national-security threat to our society, our healthcare system, and our future workforce," Ramesh said.
"Our present standard for PM2.5 is 8 times the WHO guideline for annual exposure and 4 times the guideline for 24-hour exposure. Despite the launch of the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) in 2017, PM2.5 levels have continued to rise and shockingly now every single person in India lives in areas where PM2.5 levels far exceeds the WHO guidelines," he said.
"We need to radically revise the NCAP and also urgently update the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) that were last promulgated after a careful exercise in Nov 2009," Ramesh said.
The Congress leader also shared on X the State of Global Air 2025 report which provides a comprehensive analysis of data for air quality and health impacts for countries around the world in 2023.
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India proposes preferential trade agreement with Mexico to deal with high tariffs
New Delhi (PTI): India has proposed a preferential trade agreement (PTA) with Mexico to help domestic exporters deal with the steep tariffs announced by the South American country, a top government official said on Monday.
Mexico has decided to impose steep import tariffs - ranging from about 5 per cent to as high as 50 per cent on a wide range of goods (about 1,463 tariff lines) from countries that do not have free trade agreements with Mexico, including India, China, South Korea, Thailand and Indonesia.
Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said that India has engaged with the country on the issue.
"Technical level talks are on...The only fast way forward is to try to get a preferential trade agreement (PTA) because an FTA (free trade agreement) will take a lot of time. So we are trying to see what can be a good way forward," he told reporters here.
While in an FTA two trading partners either significantly reduce or eliminate import duties on maximum number of goods traded between them, in a PTA, duties are cut or removed on a limited number of products.
Trading partners of Mexico cannot file a compliant against the decision on imposing high tariffs as they are WTO (World Trade Organisation) compatible.
The duties are within their bound rates, he said, adding that their primary target was not India.
"We have proposed a PTA because its a WTO-compatible way forward... we can do a PTA and try to get concessions that are required for Indian supply chains and similarly offer them concessions where they have export interests in India," Agrawal said.
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Citing support for local production and correction of trade imbalances, Mexico has approved an increase in MFN (most favoured nation) import tariffs (5-50 per cent) with effect from January 1, 2026 on 1,455 tariff lines (or product categories) within the WTO framework, targeting non-FTA partners.
Preliminary estimates suggest that this affects India's around USD 2 billion exports to Mexico particularly -- automobile, two-wheelers, auto parts, textiles, iron and steel, plastics, leather and footwear.
The measure is also aimed at curbing Chinese imports.
India-Mexico merchandise trade totalled USD 8.74 billion in 2024, with exports USD 5.73 billion, imports USD 3.01 billion, and a trade surplus of USD 2.72 billion.
The government has been continuously and comprehensively assessing Mexico's tariff revisions since the issue emerged, engaging stakeholders, safeguarding the interests of Indian exporters, and pursuing constructive dialogue to ensure a stable trade environment benefiting businesses and consumers in both countries.
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Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) Director General Ajay Sahai has said that Mexico's decision is a matter of concern, particularly for sectors like automobiles and auto components, machinery, electrical and electronics, organic chemicals, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and plastics.
"Such steep duties will erode our competitiveness and risk, disrupting supply chains that have taken years to develop," Sahai said, adding that this development also underlines the little urgency for India and Mexico to fast-track a comprehensive trade agreement.
Domestic auto component manufacturers will face enhanced cost pressures with Mexico hiking duties on Indian imports, according to industry body ACMA.
