A strong critique of the government’s air-quality narrative has sparked debate online after Vipul Mehta, founder of Tipping Point, accused authorities of sidestepping accountability by rejecting global pollution benchmarks and altering domestic definitions.
In a widely shared post, Mehta reacted to a December 11 statement by Minister of State Kirti Vardhan Singh, in which the minister said India would follow its own air-quality standards instead of the World Health Organization’s stricter guidelines, calling global rankings such as those by IQAir and WHO “unofficial.”
Vipul Mehta: “If the numbers are bad, make your own numbers”
Mehta pointed out that there appears to be an intention to hide the true extent of the problem due to changes in standards. “If the numbers are bad, then you can make your own numbers,” he said. The reason for this seems to be a shift in measurement standards.
The minister, according to the post, cited data under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), which claims that the average Air Quality Index (AQI) across monitored cities fell from 213 in 2018 to 187 in 2025, attributing the change to cleaner fuels and tighter emission norms.
However, Mehta juxtaposed these claims with on-ground readings. He shared an image showing PM2.5 levels at 172 at India Gate, noting that such levels are associated with long-term respiratory risks in multiple global studies, including research published by The Lancet.
A key concern highlighted in the post is the absence of “Severe Plus” pollution days in 2025. Mehta alleged this was not because air quality had improved, but because the category itself had been removed, effectively altering how extreme pollution episodes are recorded.
“This is not progress,” Mehta wrote, calling the approach “a new benchmark for avoiding accountability.” His criticism centres on the fear that redefining pollution thresholds could dilute public understanding of health risks and weaken pressure for meaningful corrective action.
The issue has caused a stir on social media sites, with some people expressing similar sentiments against transparency, while others have defended India-specific norms. What remains clear is that the debate has shifted from just pollution levels to how pollution itself is officially defined and communicated.
As winter pollution continues to dominate public discourse, Mehta’s intervention has added a fresh dimension to the conversation, one that questions whether cleaner air is being achieved, or merely relabelled.
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