Cruel joke: Congress takes swipe at Delhi govt over cloud seeding

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.

“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? the Congress leader said.

“Getting 'slight improvement in a limited area for a day or two' as is now being claimed is really a cruel joke,” Ramesh said.

He also shared on X the environment minister's reply in the Rajya Sabha and the IIT-Delhi report.

Ramesh's remarks come two days after Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said science-driven action and enforcement are delivering results as the city's AQI showed a substantial decline and rubbished allegations of data tampering.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta had also said that pollution data cannot be manipulated or tampered with.

The opposition has repeatedly criticised the government's cloud seeding trials and has accused the BJP government in Delhi of manipulating the AQI data to conceal the grim situation.