2 min readNew DelhiMay 16, 2014 12:56 AM IST
First published on: May 16, 2014 at 12:56 AM IST
Oil refiners will need to invest Rs 80 crore ($13.4 billion) in upgrades to produce cleaner fuels, a government official said, as the world’s fourth biggest oil consumer seeks to curb dire air pollution in its cities.
The World Health Organisation, in a recent study, said air pollution in New Delhi was the worst, while 13 of the dirtiest 20 cities were in India.
Economic growth and urbanisation in the country of 1.2 billion will lengthen traffic jams, increasing the need for action to minimise health risks such as cancer, strokes and heart disease.
“We are doing all this for public health now that there is sufficient evidence on the ground to suggest that ambient air pollution has deleterious effects on human health,” said Saumitra Chaudhuri, head of a government panel tasked with proposing new fuel standards.
Chaudhuri, who is also a member of the Planning Commission, said he hoped the next government would consider the panel’s recommendations.
The proposed changes would take effect in two stages, the introduction of fuels that are equivalent to the Euro IV standard from April 2017, followed by a further step up to the Euro V standard in April 2020.
US jobless claims hit 7-year low
WASHINGTON: New applications for US unemployment benefits hit a seven-year low last week while consumer prices recorded their largest increase in 10 months in April, pointing to a firming economy.
The outlook was further brightened by other data on Thursday showing factory activity in New York state expanding at its quickest pace in nearly four years in May, although overall US industrial output slumped in April.
“It conveys the message of solid economic activity,” said Anthony Karydakis, chief economic strategist at Miller Tabak in New York, speaking before the industrial production data was released.
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