18% GST on air purifiers is unjust, says Kejriwal

Opposition parties on Friday criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Delhi for failing to take concrete steps to tackle the air pollution crisis.

Former Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal urged the Centre to remove the 18% Goods and Services Tax (GST) imposed on air and water purifiers, terming it “outright injustice” at a time when air quality across Delhi-NCR has turned “deadly”. He said that instead of offering solutions, the government was “collecting more taxes from the public”. “If you cannot provide solutions, at least stop burdening the pockets of the people,” Mr. Kejriwal posted on X.

Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav said earlier efforts like converting the entire DTC and other diesel bus fleets to CNG and ensuring timely metro expansion had transformed Delhi’s air quality for the better.

“Now, the deadlines are not being met, and the BJP government only makes statements instead of being serious about cleaning Delhi’s air,” he said.

The Commission for Air Quality Management on Wednesday lifted all Stage III restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan, citing “improvement” in the air quality.

Stage III curbs, invoked on November 11, included hybrid classes for students up to Class 5 and 50% attendance for public and private offices.