“In a country of almost 1.4 billion people that is home to one-third of global maternal deaths, where public spending for health accounts for roughly one percent of GDP and where 60 million people fall into poverty every year because of healthcare bills, fixing healthcare is a daunting task that will determine the world’s performance against the Sustainable Development Goals over the coming decade,” said the report, a copy of which was made available exclusively to PTI.

With a population forecast to overtake China’s as the world’s largest within just five years, India has a pressing need to alleviate poverty and build infrastructure. That means tackling a complex challenge like air pollution often falls by the wayside. Causes include coal-powered plants, but also unregulated construction sites, agricultural burning, millions of vehicles and an arid landscape, yet debate of the impact remains muted.

The ruling BJP’s election manifesto promises to focus on 102 most polluted cities in the country. “We will reduce the level of pollution in each of the mission cities by at least 35 percent over the next five years,” it says, lauding itself for “effective steps” taken to reduce the level of pollution. The Congress party manifesto calls air pollution a national public health emergency. It promises to strengthen the National Clean Air Program to tackle pollution.