Why it is in the news
As North India enters its October–November pollution season, two expert analyses published on 9 October 2026 question how India measures and governs dirty air. Economist C.S.C. Sekhar (Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi) traced persistent stubble burning to the Punjab Preservation of Sub-Soil Water Act, 2009, an MSP-driven paddy–wheat cycle and satellite fire counts that miss evening fires.
The exam angle
Issue: Why has India's air-quality governance struggled to cut winter smog in the Indo-Gangetic Plain despite NCAP, CAQM and heavy spending on crop-residue machines?