New Delhi, Nov. 5 -- India must immediately transition from seasonal, reactive measures to a sustained, health-led strategy against air pollution by embedding explicit fine-particle (PM2.5) reduction targets directly into the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), according to a joint FICCI-EY knowledge paper titled "Clean air, healthy India" released on Thursday.

The report underscored a severe public health emergency, noting that air pollution was attributable to more than two million deaths in India in 2023 alone. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) penetrates deep into the lungs and bloodstream, driving chronic respiratory illness, heart disease, stroke, cognitive impairment, and mounting healthcare expenditures.

Calling for a structural ...