Sun Nov 02 06:17:39 UTC 2025: News Article:
Congress Slams Delhi Government’s Cloud Seeding, Calling it a Costly “Cruel Joke”
New Delhi, November 2, 2025 – The Delhi government’s winter cloud seeding initiative to combat air pollution has come under fire from the Congress party, who labeled the project a “cruel joke” given its cost and limited effectiveness.
Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh stated that the Delhi government has spent ₹34 crore on the experiment, despite warnings from multiple expert bodies. According to Ramesh, the Commission for Air Quality Management, the Central Pollution Control Board, and the Indian Meteorological Department had previously advised against winter cloud seeding in Delhi, as revealed by the Union Minister of State of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change in the Rajya Sabha.
Furthermore, Ramesh highlighted a recent report from the prestigious Centre for Atmospheric Sciences at IIT Delhi, which concluded that winter cloud seeding would not significantly improve Delhi’s severe air quality.
“Winter cloud seeding certainly looks very dramatic,” Ramesh said, “But when the overwhelming scientific consensus raises so many doubts and serious questions on its efficacy, is it wise to lay so much store by it except as a headline-grabbing measure?”
Ramesh’s criticism comes in response to claims by Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, who asserted that the city’s AQI (Air Quality Index) has shown a substantial decline due to “science-driven action and enforcement,” and dismissed allegations of data tampering. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta also defended the integrity of the pollution data.
The opposition has consistently criticized the cloud seeding trials, accusing the Delhi government of manipulating AQI data to mask the severity of the pollution crisis. Ramesh shared the Environment Minister’s Rajya Sabha reply and the IIT Delhi report on X (formerly Twitter), further amplifying the party’s position.
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