Fighting Our Killer Air - A Citizens' Charter
  • Home/
  • Centre Asks Delhi, Other States For Micro-Level Plan Against Stubble Burning

Centre Asks Delhi, Other States For Micro-Level Plan Against Stubble Burning

Centre Asks Delhi, Other States For Micro-Level Plan Against Stubble Burning
Minister said states should strive for achieving zero stubble burning in the very near future. (File)
New Delhi: 

To curb air pollution in the national capital during winter due to stubble burning, the Centre on Wednesday directed Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi governments to chalk out a comprehensive micro-level plan and promote the use of bio-decomposer.

In a review meeting with the state government officials and officials of agri-research body ICAR, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar pointed out that the states have not fully spent the Rs 600 crore given to them for this fiscal.

" Rs 600 crore was already provided to the states this financial year and they have the unspent amount of Rs 300 Crore, which should be utilized properly," an official statement quoted Mr Tomar as having said in the meeting.

The Centre and concerned states should jointly evolve a long-term plan and must undertake multi-pronged activities to achieve the target of zero stubble burning within a specified time frame, he said.

The minister reviewed the actions taken so far to check stubble burning and discussed proposed actions to be taken by the neighbouring states.

For effective control of paddy stubble burning during the ensuing season, Tomar said the states should chalk out a comprehensive action plan at the micro level.

The states have been asked to establish a mechanism to ensure effective utilisation of machines, promote the use of bio-decomposer in a complementary mode with CRM machines, and promote ex-situ utilisation of straw by way of mapping demand from industries like biomass-based power plants, bio-ethanol plants, etc, the statement said.

The states have also been asked to run an intensive campaign to create mass awareness among farmers through media, social media, kisaan melas, seminars, and advisories.

"If all the actions are taken at the state level in a holistic manner, the stubble burning can be effectively controlled during the coming season," the minister said.

Mr Tomar said the states should strive for achieving zero stubble burning in the very near future and promised all central government help to achieve this mission.

He urged the officials to make arrangements to take the farmers to the sites where the Pusa Decomposer developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is being used for practical demonstrations.

The Centre has already released Rs 240 crore, Rs 191.53 crore, Rs 154.29 crore, and Rs 14.18 crore to Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and ICAR, respectively, as the first installment under a central scheme to promote agricultural machination for in-situ management of crop residue.

During the current year, provisions have also been incorporated to promote the use of bio-decomposer technology on large scale in these states.

Last year, decomposer was used in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and NCT of Delhi in around 5.7 lakh hectares area which is equivalent to about 3.5 million tonnes of straw managed.

Through satellite imaging and monitoring, it was observed that 92 per cent area of the decomposer sprayed plots have been managed through decomposition and only 8 per cent area in these plots was burned, the statement added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Share this story on

Latest Stories

................................ Advertisement ................................

Latest Videos

Opinion

  • Opinion | Why Indians Have Just Given Up On Air Pollution Crisis

    Opinion | Why Indians Have Just Given Up On Air Pollution CrisisTanushree Ganguly

    Friday December 20, 2024

    While some may argue that people in Delhi are now more aware of air pollution than they were a decade back, my rebuttal would be that awareness does not mean that people are concerned.

  • Opinion | You Must Outrage Over Filthy Air More Than Once A Year

    Opinion | You Must Outrage Over Filthy Air More Than Once A YearJyoti Pande Lavakare

    Tuesday December 10, 2024

    Delhi welcomed us with monsoon rains and mangos. We were home. Fast forward a couple of years, in the winter of 2012, I found myself in denial about something other parents, mostly expats, were calling toxic air.

  • Opinion | Delhi's Air Pollution Situation Is Like A Bad Marriage

    Opinion | Delhi's Air Pollution Situation Is Like A Bad MarriageNishtha Gautam

    Friday November 22, 2024

    On a good day, such as today, the AQI reading in Delhi is 407. We are jubilant at the sickly sunshine trickling through the slightly dissipated smog. At least its not 1600.

  • दिवाली... पराली... सियासी जुगाली!

    दिवाली... पराली... सियासी जुगाली!Ashwini kumar

    Monday November 18, 2024

    दिल्ली-एनसीआर में प्रदूषण का समाधान तो आज तक मिला नहीं. हर साल चिंतित होकर हम-आप सांसों की तकलीफ के साथ-साथ दिल और ब्लड प्रेशर के मरीज भी क्यों बनें?

  • घर में कैद बुजुर्ग और हांफते लोग, दिल्ली की सांसों में घुला ये कैसा रोग?

    घर में कैद बुजुर्ग और हांफते लोग, दिल्ली की सांसों में घुला ये कैसा रोग?Nidhi Kulpati

    Friday November 08, 2024

    हमारी हवा जहरीली हो रही है. गुरुवार की शाम को जब मैं इस मुद्दे पर लिखने बैठी तो AQI लगातार 400 पार  जाकर दम घोंट रहा था. बहुत लोगों को यह मामला बोरिंग लगे, लेकिन जब आप अपने साथ काम करने वालों को खांसते-हांफते देखते-सुनते हैं, तो चिंता होने लगती है. सुबह उठते ही दरवाजे खिड़कियां खोलने के लिए डॉक्टर मना कर रहे हैं. बड़े बुजुर्गों के लिए तो मॉर्निंग वॉक बाहर की दुनिया से सीधे संपर्क का ज़रिया है, लेकिन डॉक्टर इसकी भी मनाही कर रहे हैं.