Air pollution’s health risks call for stronger health preparedness and wider access to cleaner alternatives: FICCI-EY
November 05, 2026
New Delhi, 5 November 2026: India needs a health-led approach to clean air, with explicit targets to reduce fine-particle pollution under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), according to the FICCI-EY knowledge paper, “Clean air, healthy India.”. More than two million deaths in India were attributable to air pollution in 2023. Tiny particles of pollution in the air, known as PM2.5, can penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream. Prolonged exposure is associated with respiratory illness, heart disease, stroke and cognitive impairment, with wider consequences for healthcare expenditure and productivity.
Dr. Ashutosh Raghuvanshi, Chair, FICCI Health Services Committee and MD and CEO, Fortis Healthcare said,“Clean air must be central to India’s healthcare agenda, not treated solely as an environmental objective. Healthcare institutions have an important role to play in strengthening public awareness, tracking pollution-related illness and improving preparedness. The FICCI-EY report calls for closer collaboration between government, industry and healthcare providers to translate clean-air commitments into measurable improvements in public health.”
Dr. Arun Agarwal, Chair, FICCI Working Group on Air Pollution (Healthcare Perspective); Former Dean, MAMC; Former Additional Director General of Health Services, GoI; Medical Advisor, Apollo Hospitals Group said, “We need to move beyond seasonal responses to air pollution and make exposure reduction a year-round public health priority. This requires linking air-quality monitoring with health surveillance, strengthening preventive action and tailoring interventions to local pollution sources. The FICCI-EY report provides a framework for coordinated action, with success measured not just by cleaner air, but by better health outcomes.”
Amit Goyal, Partner, Strategy and Transactions, EY India, said, “India’s clean-air agenda should link pollution control to public-health outcomes. NCAP should include explicit PM2.5 reduction targets, supported by reliable monitoring, coordinated regional action and investment in affordable cleaner alternatives. Progress should be measured by sustained reductions in people’s exposure to air pollution, rather than the number of interventions implemented.”
The FICCI-EY knowledge paper sets out 10 practical solutions to reduce air pollution. For urban pollution, the knowledge paper recommends making large construction sites closed-loop for dust to address construction and demolition emissions. It also calls for intra-city monitoring networks to identify hotspots linked to traffic, industry, construction and waste burning, and test which interventions work. Smart traffic signals are recommended to reduce congestion and vehicle emissions from idling and stop-start traffic.
To address industrial and backup-power emissions, the paper recommends running industrial pollution markets on live stack-emissions data, retrofitting traditional brick kilns to zig-zag firing, and replacing diesel backup with battery-hybrid systems. It also proposes technology-led solutions to improve monitoring and control industrial exhaust, diesel soot and pollution in high-exposure locations.
The recommendations also include converting crop residue into fuel and marketable products to address stubble burning, and using recovered plastic, industrial residue and construction and demolition waste to build houses and infrastructure. To support financing, the knowledge paper proposes grouping similar clean-air projects together so that multiple small but significant green projects can be funded.
To support implementation, the paper recommends clear government standards and predictable regulations. Industry action should promote efficiency, competitiveness and innovation. Healthcare institutions should strengthen surveillance and public advisories, while communities need reliable information and opportunities to participate in local clean-air decisions.
Ahead of peak pollution season, the FICCI-EY knowledge paper recommends early action on emission sources, backed by hospital and school preparedness. Delhi’s own emissions accounted for approximately 36% of its PM2.5 in winter and 26% in summer, highlighting the need for action beyond city boundaries.
Key implementation gaps remain: NCAP performance is measured primarily through PM10; monitoring is uneven across smaller cities, peri-urban and rural areas; and enforcement capacity varies across jurisdictions. The paper recommends coordination across states and cities sharing the same air region, expanded PM2.5 monitoring, source-specific local plans, stronger compliance tracking and outcome-linked funding.
Notes to Editors
About FICCI
Established in 1927, FICCI is the largest and oldest apex business organisation in India. Its history is closely interwoven with India's struggle for independence, its industrialization, and its emergence as one of the most rapidly growing global economies. A non-government, not-for-profit organisation, FICCI is the voice of India's business and industry. From influencing policy to encouraging debate, engaging with policy makers and civil society, FICCI articulates the views and concerns of industry. It serves its members from the Indian private and public corporate sectors and multinational companies, drawing its strength from diverse regional chambers of commerce and industry across states, reaching out to over 2,50,000 companies. FICCI provides a platform for networking and consensus building within and across sectors and is the first port of call for Indian industry, policy makers and the international business community.
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