Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Friday expressed concern about the increasing incidents of stubble burning in four major northern Indian states, including Punjab, and called on them to take steps to bring it under control.
The minister said that since 2018 the central government has provided funds and machinery to the states for the management of stubble burning incidents.
Burning stubble is not a “political issue” and states should work to curb it, he said.
The minister said that PUSA decomposer, developed by the agro-research body ICAR, is effective in controlling stubble burn, and is calling on both state governments and farmers to use more such machines.
“Despite providing millions of rupees and 2 lakh machines, stubble burn incidents are increasing and that is a cause for concern,” Tomar said at a day-long event on ‘Pusa decomposer’.
Since 2018-19, the central government has provided Rs 3,138 crore to four states – Punjab, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana – for stubble burning management. Of that, more than Rs 1,400 crore has been given to Punjab, Rs 900 crore to Haryana, Rs 713 crore to Uttar Pradesh and Rs 6-7 crore to Delhi, he said.
Some states, notably Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, have done a good job and are moving in a positive direction, he said.
At the time, it was said that if shredders had been deployed, the burning of stubble would have been effectively controlled. After that, about two lakh machines were made available to the states, he said.
These two lakh machines could help control stubble burn, provided states are determined, Tomar told reporters on the sidelines of the event.
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