Chandigarh, Oct 24 (PTI) Punjab has reported 1,638 farm fires so far, registering a 16 per cent dip as compared to the stubble burning incident recorded in corresponding period last year.
The state witnessed 1,946 farm fires till October 23 last year.
Punjab Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian said, “The reduction in stubble burning incidents is a testament to the concerted efforts of the Punjab government and the farming community.” Our initiatives, including the provision of CRM machines and the appointment of nodal officers, are yielding positive results, he said.
The minister said 13,616 crop residue management (CRM) machines have been supplied to farmers this year, bringing the total to over 1.43 lakh machines since 2018.
“More than 8,000 nodal officers have been appointed by the government to prevent stubble burning and raise awareness among farmers”, Khudian said in a statement.
The minister also highlighted the launch of the ‘Unnat Kisan’ mobile application, which mapped 1.30 lakh CRM machines to facilitate access for small and marginal farmers to stubble management machines.
He said an action plan of Rs 500 crore was drawn up for stubble management this year.
Stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana is often blamed for the rise in air pollution in Delhi after harvesting of the paddy crop in October and November. PTI CHS NB NB
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