12 November,2026 07:48 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Aaditya Thackeray alleged that a lack of data integrity had masked India`s actual position on global climate indices, making the country`s environmental situation appear better than it was. File Pic
Ahead of Mumbai hosting the prestigious Earthshot Prize Summit and Awards, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and former Maharashtra Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray on Thursday accused the Union government of "data fudging" and greenwashing, alleging that it had failed to ensure citizens' access to basic necessities such as clean air, water and food.
Pointing out that almost all of the world's most polluted cities are currently in India, Thackeray questioned the Centre's commitment to international climate agreements and effective domestic environmental governance, news agency IANS reported.
His remarks come as the COP31 Climate Summit is underway in Turkiye, with Mumbai preparing to host the Earthshot Prize Summit and Awards on November 16-17, followed by Mumbai Climate Week in February 2027.
Thackeray alleged that a lack of data integrity had masked India's actual position on global climate indices, making the country's environmental situation appear better than it was. He also said political apathy towards the environmental crisis was forcing citizens to protest and, in some cases, migrate in search of basic living standards.
"Most of those who pay direct taxes, and all of those who pay indirect taxes, hoping for these basics, have to spend again on air and water purifiers and sources of food," Thackeray stated.
He warned that environmental degradation was no longer merely a public health concern but had also emerged as an economic threat. Businesses and organisations, he added, were relocating from polluted regions, resulting directly in job losses.
Reiterating a demand he had previously raised with the Centre, Thackeray called for the immediate establishment of a Council of Climate Change, modelled on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council, to institutionalise cooperation between the Centre and states on environmental issues.
He proposed that the council be headed by the Prime Minister and include all state Ministers for Forest and Environment, along with representatives of relevant Union Ministries, including Urban and Rural Development, Energy, Agriculture, Industry and Roads.
The proposed body should meet every quarter to review verified data, targets and real-time progress on climate action, he said.
Thackeray also called for the establishment of parallel State Councils of Climate Change, headed by the respective Chief Ministers. These councils would bring together representatives of all interconnected government departments to monitor regional climate action plans.
Drawing on his tenure as Maharashtra's Environment and Climate Change Minister, during which the state drafted climate action plans for Mumbai and several other cities, Thackeray stressed that such plans should be formulated and neutrally audited by independent, internationally reputed organisations in a transparent manner. He said environmental governance was linked to almost every government department and played a crucial role in determining people's overall quality of life.
Warning that India was approaching a defining stage in terms of its population and demographic dividend, Thackeray urged the government to treat climate action as an urgent economic and strategic priority.
"Timely climate action can be a huge opportunity that, if missed, can be a huge risk socially, politically, economically and in terms of national security," he concluded.
(With IANS inputs)
