Correct Option (C)
The passage explicitly states that the Air Quality Index (AQI) is most useful when pollution levels are normally low but occasionally spike, allowing the public to take preventive action. However, it highlights that in many large Indian cities, pollution levels remain consistently high, often in the 'Red/Dangerous' region, for extended periods. In such scenarios, the continuous high readings render the index ineffective for prompting actionable responses, as there is little the public can do differently day after day. Therefore, the most logical inference is that the AQI's utility is diminished for residents in these chronically polluted urban areas.
Incorrect Options:
Option (A) is not the most logical inference. While government responsibility for pollution control is a significant issue, the passage primarily focuses on the functional limitations of the AQI in persistently polluted environments, rather than directly attributing blame to government inaction as its central argument.
Option (B) is an overgeneralization. The passage critiques the practical utility of the AQI under specific conditions of chronic, high pollution, not its complete irrelevance or absence of need across the entire country or in all contexts. It points to limited effectiveness in certain scenarios, not absolute redundancy.
Option (D) is not the central inference. While public awareness about pollution is generally beneficial, the passage emphasizes the ineffectiveness of AQI warnings in prompting preventive action when pollution levels are consistently high, rather than advocating for increased awareness as the primary solution or inference from the given text.