India, Aug. 17 -- Rural areas across India often record PM2.5 concentrations close to those in cities, with Odisha among seven states where rural pollution exceeded the national annual standard and an urban-rural difference of less than 10 per cent, according to an analysis of 2014 to 2023 pollution data.

The analysis by India Air Quality & Energy Insights released on August 17, 2026 combines village-level boundary data released by the Survey of India for 27 states and Union territories with annual PM2.5 estimates from the Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group at Washington University in St Louis. It examines whether India's city-focused clean air policies adequately address pollution beyond urban boundaries.

In 2023, urban PM2.5 conce...