Cong takes swipe at Delhi govt over cloud seeding

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Sunday took a swipe at the Delhi government over its cloud seeding experiment for improving air quality and said getting slight improvement in a limited area for a day or two as is now being claimed is a “cruel joke”.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the Delhi government has spent Rs 34 crore on the winter cloud seeding experiment in order to improve air quality.

On December 5, 2024, the Union Minister of State of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change, had answered a question in the Rajya Sabha saying that three specialised agencies -- the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCT, the Central Pollution Control Board, and the Indian Meteorological Department -- had clearly advised against winter cloud seeding to improve air quality in Delhi, Ramesh said.

Then on October 31, 2025 --- that is just the day before yesterday -- the well-known and prestigious Centre for Atmospheric Sciences at IIT Delhi issued a detailed report on the subject which makes it clear that winter cloud seeding will not help improve the atrocious air quality in Delhi in any significant manner, he said.

Winter cloud seeding certainly looks very dramatic and gives the impression that something is demonstrably being done by the government, he said.

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