(a) the details of different environment statistics developed and prepared for the National Resource Accounts;
(b) the situation of Delhi vis-à-vis other States in these environment statistics; and
(c) the standards and norms for assessing AQI in India along with the details thereof?
MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION AND MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF PLANNING (RAO INDERJIT SINGH)
(a) & (b) Natural resource accounting is an accounting system developed by the United Nations that deals with stocks and stock changes of natural assets, comprising biological resources (produced or wild), subsoil assets, water and land with their aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Statistics related to these domains are developed and collected by the different ministries of the Government of India and the State Governments as per their mandate. There is no single indicator which can describe the situation of Delhi vis-à-vis other states.
(c) Central Pollution Control Board, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change compiles the national Air Quality Index(AQI). There are six AQI categories (namely Good, Satisfactory, Moderately polluted, Poor, Very Poor, and Severe). Each of these categories is decided based on ambient concentration values of air pollutants and their likely health impacts (known as health breakpoints). AQ sub-index and health breakpoints are evolved for eight pollutants (PM10, PM2.5, NO2, SO2, CO, O3, NH3, and Pb) for which short-term (upto 24-hours) National Ambient Air Quality Standards are prescribed. These standards are available in public domain on CPCB''s website, cpcb.nic.in.
AQI categories and health break points for the eight pollutants are given in Annexure.
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