Punjab govt’s straw management challenge: Tussle over translation of notification chokes ad for global cash award

As Delhi and neighbouring states battle smog caused by stubble burning, Punjab government’s USD 1 million Paddy Straw Management Challenge Fund, a global cash award for those coming up viable solution for pollution-free management of stubble, is stuck in bureaucratic wranglings. With Punjab State Farmers Commission and the state agriculture department involved in a tug of war over translation of a few paragraphs of the notifiction from Punjabi to English, the government is yet achieve the task of putting out advertisements in international magazines and newspapers over three months after the announcement of reward was notified.

When the Punjab State Farmers Commission was about to insert the advertisement alongwith a copy of notification issued by state agriculture department, it realised that the audience in countries abroad would not be able to understand Punjabi. The department had notified the challenge fund mostly in Punjabi with only a few paragraphs in English.

Chairman of the Commission, Ajayvir Jakhar, is learnt to have conveyed his displeasure to the officials of the government stating the brief to those drafting the notification should have been clear.

The commission has now asked the department to translate the notification in English. Commission’s demand for translation, sources said, has not gone down well with the department of agriculture as a functionary said anybody could have translated the notification. “It will require not more than half an hour,” said the official.

Had the government advertised the challenge three months ago, it could have made some progress in receiving solutions from scientists, universities and private firms handling crop residues well before the stubble burning season. But despite an amount of USD 1 million set aside in annual budget passed five months ago in June, the government did not do anything except notifying the fund.

Sources said there were many organisations that were in touch with the commission offering a solution for straw management. The government was looking at someone to provide a technology that will help decompose the stubborn paddy straw in an eco-friendly way without having to remove it from the fields. “We would welcome any institution recommend disposing off he stubble with with some bioenzyme without adversely impacting the environment.” said a government official.

Every year, 75 per cent of the 19.7 million tonnes of paddy straw generated is burnt by the farmers creating a problem for the environment.

This year with National Green Tribunal (NGT) directing the state to discourage farmers from setting paddy stubble affire, the state government had issued instructions to the farmers not to resort to burning. The situation was under control till before Diwali when Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, during a meeting with farmers organisations, gave a statement that no farmer would be fined. Soon after the farmers set straw on fire.