Toxic Delhi air: Union ministries, states discuss strategies to curb stubble burning

New Delhi, Oct 7 Strategies to curb air pollution caused by stubble burning in Delhi and other northern states were discussed on Tuesday at a meeting of state agriculture ministers with Union Agriculture and Environment Ministers and officials.

The meeting, held at Krishi Bhavan and chaired by Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, also discussed the way forward to promote better utilisation of paddy residue and enhance awareness, financial support, monitoring, crop management, and diversification among farmers, said an official statement.

Other participants included Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav, Punjab Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian, Haryana Agriculture Minister Shyam Singh Rana, Uttar Pradesh Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi and Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa.

Yadav commended the states for their ongoing efforts in stubble management and emphasised enhanced coordination between the Ministry of Agriculture and state governments over the next 10 days.

He stressed the importance of stubble collection and storage to ensure its proper industrial utilisation, highlighting the potential use of stubble in brick kilns and thermal power plants.

The Agriculture Ministers of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh briefed the Union Agriculture Minister on the status of stubble management in their respective states and informed that implementation of stubble management schemes is being carried out with full alertness and commitment.

They assured that their officers and field departments are actively engaged in the task.

The Haryana Agriculture Minister highlighted that the state is encouraging farmers not to burn stubble by providing financial assistance, which has had a significant positive impact, motivating farmers to adopt alternative stubble management methods.

Chouhan said that while commendable work is being done in this regard, continuous and sustained efforts are necessary to achieve larger goals.

He underlined the need for training, awareness, capacity building, and real-time monitoring.

“With coordinated efforts between the Centre and the states, the incidents of stubble burning will certainly reduce further in the coming days,” the Union minister said.

“Real-time or on-ground monitoring is essential. I am confident that with sustained efforts, we will achieve better outcomes and succeed in protecting the environment and climate,” Chouhan stated.

He emphasised that awareness among farmers is crucial and suggested that panchayats, local representatives, and nodal officers should be actively involved at the village level to achieve better outcomes.

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