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The number of reported fluoride-affected habitations have reduced over the years from 7,996 in August 2019 to 255 as on December 6, 2024, V Somanna, Union minister of state for jal shakti (water resources) told the Rajya Sabha.
Reported arsenic-affected habitations saw a similar reduction, going from 14,020 in August 2019 to 314 as on December 4, 2024, the minister added.
The minister attributed the achievements to measures taken under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).
In the remaining 255 fluoride–affected & 314 arsenic-affected habitations, provision of safe drinking water for cooking and drinking requirements has been made available through community water purification plants (CWPP) / intergovernmental hydrological programmes.
Accordingly, for FY 2024-25, as per the reports received from the States/UT, as of 30 September, 2024, approximately 389,000 people have been examined in the community in fluorosis endemic districts, out of which some 8.4 per cent have suspected dental fluorosis, Somanna added.
The Uttar Pradesh government has announced that a social audit was carried out under the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN) Scheme in 1,500 schools for 2022-23 and in 1,575 schools for 2023-24 across all 75 districts, following the Central Government's guidelines. The process is ongoing for the current year 2024-25.
Major findings of the audits were inadequacy in record maintenance in Sitapur, Lakhimpur Khiri, Mau, Gonda and Balrampur districts as well as non-availability of gloves and aprons for cook-cum-helpers in Lakhimpur and Hardoi districts, the state informed.
The state government further reported action be taken to remove the shortcomings found during the social audit, Jayant Chaudhary, Union minister of state for education, told the Lok Sabha.
As many as 97 out of 130 non-attainment and million-plus cities have shown improvement in air quality in terms of annual PM10 concentrations in 2023-24, compared to 2017-18, Bhupender Yadav, Union minister for environment, forest and climate change, told the Lok Sabha.
The projects undertaken under National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) launched by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in January 2019 contributed to the achievement, he said.
Around 55 cities have achieved reduction of 20 per cent and above in PM10 levels in 2023-24 from 2017-18 levels. Some 18 cities have met National Ambient Air Quality Standards for PM10 (60 μg / m3) in FY 2023-24, Yadav added.
An allocation of Rs 19,611 crore has been made for 130 cities. It includes Rs 16,539 crore allocation to 48 million plus cities through 15th Finance Million Plus City Challenge Fund for the period FY 2021-22 to 2025-26, and Rs 3,072 crore to remaining 82 cities through Control of Pollution Scheme of MoEFCC for the period FY 2019-20 till 2025-26.
These are performance-linked grants for critical gap funding to implement air pollution mitigation measures, and an amount of Rs 11,211.13 crore has been released based on achievement of air pollution reduction targets in respective cities, Yadav noted.
In the financial year 2022-23, a total of 4,136,188.83 tonnes waste was generated in India, Kirti Vardhan Singh, Union minister of state in the environment, forest and climate change, told the Lok Sabha.
But, as reported by states and UTs on Integrated Management Information System of SBM (G), 978 Plastic Waste Management Units are currently operational, Singh said.
Eight cheetahs from Namibia and 12 cheetahs from South Africa have been translocated to Kuno National Park. Out of these, a total 20 cheetahs, four from Namibia and four from South Africa have died.
The big cats died due to various natural causes such as septicaemia arising from exacerbated tick lesions, renal insufficiency, intra-specific aggression and drowning, Singh told the Lok Sabha.
The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, in collaboration with state forest departments, has verified 150 elephant corridors in 15 elephant range States (including Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal) across the country and has informed the state governments / UT administrations to take necessary actions to protect and preserve these corridors, Singh said in the Rajya Sabha.