Union Budget 2026–27 Fails to Address Delhi’s Air Pollution Crisis, Experts Say Funding Falls Short Amid Rising Health Risks

Key Points:

India’s National Capital continues to face a prolonged and alarming crisis of worsening air pollution. However, it seems that the central government has not paid significant attention to the problem. The Union Budget 2026-27 has allocated ₹1091 crore for Control of Pollution under Central Sector Schemes/Projects, ₹201 crore less than the previous allocation of ₹1300 crore in the Union Budget 2025-26. 

Overall, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has been allocated ₹3759.46 crore, which is ₹277.85 crore more than the previous allocation of ₹3481.61 crore in the Union Budget 2025-26. Despite the increased budget, environmental experts have said that the budget allocated for countering air pollution is much less than what is actually required. 

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Health experts have warned that the air pollution crisis in Delhi will reduce 10 years of life cycle of its residents. The two most critical causes of air pollution are presence of harmful particulate matter - PM2.5 and PM10, which are microparticles that enter the lungs and bloodstreams, and deposit there. These particles are not just dust, they carry soot, heavy metals, organic compounds, and secondary aerosols formed in the atmosphere.  Scientists have said that these particles will harm our respiratory system, cause health risks and cardiovascular diseases.

On Wednesday, February 4, 2026, a panel discussion was organised by the Impact and Policy Research Institute (IMPRI), a think tank for policy research based in Saket, New Delhi. The topic for discussion was “The Environment and Union Budget 2026-27 discussion”. Experts who discussed the budget echoed a similar sentiment, that the Union Budget 2026-27 failed to address the air pollution crisis despite Delhi choking under unbreathable air.

The experts who attended the discussion were environmentalist Ashish Kothari, economics Professor Krishna Raj of the Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Prarthana Borah from Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), and Soumya Dutta, co-convener of South Asian People’s Action on Climate Crisis (SAPACC).

Experts Criticise Government’s Focus on Energy Expansion Over Environmental Protection

Ashish Kothari mentioned that while Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that large amounts of money would be dedicated to develop energy and power infrastructure, she didn’t mention the critical and persisting problem of air pollution and environmental crisis. He also said that the budget reflected a mindset where the central ministers treated the environment as a secondary concern, rather than survival infrastructure. 

Soumya Dutta also criticised the huge allocations of money to energy and power production, pointing out increased allocation for the coal ministry. He said that the continued push for carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) was anti-climate and anti-people, resulting in increasing air pollution every year leading to health risks and deaths. Speaking along the same lines, Prarthana Borah said that while industrial growth is being supported, environmental concerns are being neglected.

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Low Funding for Pollution Control Bodies Raises Serious Concerns

Professor Krishna Raj said that although the Budget talks about aligning economic and environmental policies under the Sustainable Development Goals, the gap between the two is actually widening. He pointed to poor funding for the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, noting that only ₹123 crore has been allocated to the Central Pollution Control Board. Most of the ministry’s budget, he added, is spent on salaries and routine expenses rather than on conservation or pollution control.

The experts also mentioned that the budget didn’t provide for clean energy transitions or pollution reduction outcomes. The panel agreed in unison that unless the government significantly increases funding for the environment ministry, pollution control bodies, and urban infrastructure, India’s air pollution problem will not improve in any meaningful way, despite frequent talk about green growth and sustainability.

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