"Must Be Given Chance": Anand Mahindra's Solution To "Heal" Delhi Pollution

As air quality continues to remain severe in the national capital, industrialist Anand Mahindra on Wednesday suggested a unique solution to Delhi's yearly battle with toxic smog.

The industrialist, who is known for sharing intriguing takes on issues that make the news, pitched a new way to "heal" Delhi's pollution on X. In his post, Mr Mahindra batted for "regenerative agriculture" to provide an alternative to stubble burning, one of the major causes behind the deteriorating air quality in the city and surrounding areas.

"To heal Delhi's pollution, Regenerative Agriculture MUST be given a chance. It provides a remunerative alternative to stubble burning while simultaneously increasing soil productivity. @VikashAbraham of @naandi_india stands ready to help. Let's do it!," he said in his post on X, formerly Twitter.

Regenerative Agriculture, according to the ORF, is a “way of farming to build and improve soil fertility, while storing atmospheric CO2, increasing on-farm diversity and improving water and energy management”. The practice can restore soil health and productivity in degraded soil while also improving water use and "nutrient-holding capacity of the soil."

The industrialist was pointing to the efforts by Urban Farms Co, an initiative that works to support farmers as they shift to sustainable farming focused around organic practices. The initiative procures crop stubble from farmers and converts it to "high quality farm inputs" that in turn enrich the farmer's soil and prevents the use of chemical fertilisers.

So far, the initiative claims to have prevented the burning of over 1 million kilograms of paddy stubble each year.

Replying to Mr Mahindra, Vikash Abraham, founder of the agriculture initiative, said his organisation was ready for action." "Yes sir! Our sleeves are rolled up and ready for action! @anandmahindra @UFCo_India @naandi_india," he wrote.