“Every year the nation eagerly waits to tune in to the budget speech around this time of the year. This year too the people of the country patiently waited to listen to the Finance Minister’s decision for the country’s betterment. As the budget is addressed to several national cases, one important case is still left to be answered i.e., Air Pollution. Why is that the rising concern of climate change due to an increase in pollution level in the country is always overlooked?

Environmental issues have been seeking government attention for a long time now. Although India is on the edge of becoming the 5th largest economy in the world, we have also ranked high when the global death toll due to pollution and natural disaster is taken into account. Isn’t the concern important enough for the government to take notice? I guess not!

The environment is suffering each day due to the incomprehensible rise in pollution levels across the country. This is not only making a dent in the citizen’s livelihood but also posing a serious threat to nature. The rapid increase in pollution level has even degraded the living standards in big cities. The effect of climate change on the environment has caused the agricultural output of the entire nation putting health and resources under tremendous danger.

As much as the new budget has mentioned big environmental projects and providing funds that will address the control of pollution level in the country it is simply not enough.

Everyone knows that there’s a big problem that the country is facing in the name of Air Pollution. But there is no awareness regarding the complexities of the causes and effect of the alarming rise in pollution. The government must now make some serious investments into real climate and environmental issues. Spreading awareness, for instance, should be one thing that makes more sense than right now. New policies that will deal with the issues of pollution in a synchronized manner need to be implemented without raising havoc in urban cities.

Keeping in mind, this is the election year; there should be definite research on the environmental budget with a number of adoptive and mitigating solutions to curb air pollution. “