People living in slums, who mostly survive on meager incomes, are most vulnerable to toxic air because their work often requires them to stay outdoors for long hours.
Budget 2021: Reactions from the social sector
On February 1, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented India’s first-ever paperless Budget. A lot of reforms were announced on migrant labour, renewable energy, and women and child welfare. Experts from the social sector weigh in.
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The
Union Budget 2021-22 was a first-of-its-kind on many fronts. In addition to being the first paperless Budget, it was also the first since the pandemic forced the country into months of lockdown, which impacted not only the economy, but also the livelihoods of Indians, particularly in lower-income sections. So, it came as no surprise that there were a number of welfare schemes announced. We asked a few experts what they thought of
Dr. Ajay Nagpure
Dr. Ajay Singh Nagpure is Head, Air Quality program, WRI India. He is an Urban Systems and Air Quality Scientist by profession. He works in the areas of air pollution, health risks, environmental and infrastructure systems footprints.
28th Jan 2021
What Clean Fuel Use in Every Household Means For Women Empowerment
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By Vandana Tyagi, Dr Ajay Singh Nagpure, Bhavay Sharma, Anandi Mishra
In 2019, about three lakh women died prematurely from diseases attributable to household air pollution from the use of polluting cooking fuels in India. Though women and children are more exposed to household air pollution, it is not limited to them. An average Indian citizen spends 80% time indoors. The use of polluting fuels, i.e., firewood, cow dung, and crop residues, not only contributes to indoor air pollution but also accounts for 17-30% of India’s ambient air pollution. Indian Institute of Technology Delhi’s study claims India can achieve National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) standard for PM2.5 by only replacing all polluting cooking fuels with clean cooking fuels. Thus, reducing the use of solid fuels for cooking will reduce indoor and ambient air pollution while providing several other co-benefits such as ener