Statement by India under Agenda Item 3: Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the issue of human rights obligations relating to the enjoyment of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment at the 61st Regular Session of the Human Rights Council (23 Feb - 31 Mar 2026) Geneva, 6 March 2026
Mr. Vice President,
India thanks the Special Rapporteur for her report. We agree that air pollution is a serious public health challenge that demands urgent, evidence-based action.
2. India is proactively addressing this challenge at scale. The National Clean Air Programme, launched in 2019, is a multi-sectoral initiative emphasizing source-specific mitigation measures through city, state, and national-level clean air action plans. The Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric (&Hybrid) Vehicles, or the FAME initiative, and other such measures have catalysed one of the world's fastest-growing EV markets, directly targeting vehicular emissions. The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, also mentioned in the report, has provided over 100 million clean cooking connections to households previously reliant on biomass, delivering measurable health benefits.
3. We also recognise that energy transitions must be calibrated to development realities. India is one of the world's leading renewable energy producers and managing a responsible transition, while addressing development challenges. We note that the report rightly identifies the inequity in development finance, with 92 per cent of air-quality funding provided as loans rather than grants, which places an unfair burden on developing countries already facing fiscal constraints.
4. We support enhanced international cooperation and technology transfer to help developing countries build institutional capacity for air quality governance. We would request the Special Rapporteur’s views on pathways towards attaining such cooperation as well as grant-based, accessible finance to support clean energy transitions in developing countries.
I thank you.
***
