Emissions from coal power plants are causing a huge public health crisis across various parts of India, according to a Greenpeace report.

The study, conducted by former World Bank's pollution head Sarath Guttikunda, revealed that harmful emissions from coal-fired power plants are causing 80,000 to 1,15,000 premature deaths and as many as 20 million new asthma cases every year.

The report named Delhi and Kolkata regions as the most polluted areas of India, while Mumbai, western Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Eastern Andhra Pradesh were also found to be under the drastic impact of harmful emissions.

Guttikunda, who authored the report, suggested that the use of cleaner fuels and implementation of stricter emission standards could save hundred of thousands of lives, while also dragging down associated costs to the society as a whole.

In the report, he said, "Thousands of lives can be saved every year if India tightens its emissions standards, introduces limits for pollutants such as sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and mercury and institutes mandatory monitoring of emissions at plant stacks."

He pointed out that there is currently an evident lack of regulations to restrict harmful emission from coal-fired power plants. He also said that enforcement of existing standards is nearly non-existent.

India generates nearly 210 GW of electricity per year, mostly from coal, which ranks it at the second spot in the list of the world's world's biggest coal burners after China.