Encourage farmers to make use of farm equipment: Hry CS

Haryana Chief Secretary, DS Dhesi on Tuesday directed all deputy commissioners, additional deputy commissioners, deputy director, agriculture, and officers related to crop management, to generate awareness among the farmers in their respective districts for the success of in-situ crop residue management scheme of the Central Government, and encourage them to make use of new farm equipment.

Dhesi also directed them to ensure that stubble or crop residue is not burnt in any case, instead with the help of agri equipment, it should be used as manure after decomposition.

The Chief Secretary was presiding over a meeting on crop residue management with DCs through video-conferencing here. The Additional Chief Secretary, Cooperation, Navraj Sandhu, Director-cum-Special Secretary, Agriculture, DK Behera, all ADCs and Deputy Director, Agriculture, were also present.

He said a new scheme was being implemented for the benefit of farmers, conservation of environment and for the success of in-situ crop residue management scheme. For implementation of the scheme in Haryana, the Central Government has approved a sum of Rs 215 crore against Rs 75 crore last year which is three times more.

The Chief Secretary directed DCs to appoint one nodal officer for every ten villages and constitute a three-member committee for the management of crop residue. The committee would organise awareness camps for farmers in villages. It would comprise one ADO, Gram Sachiv and a student of Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar.

Since paddy crop is mainly grown in the districts of Karnal, Jind, Kaithal, Kurukshetra, Fatehabad, Sirsa and Ambala, complaints regarding burning of crop residue come mainly from these districts, said he.

Burning of crop residue in fields after harvesting of crops, which is a punishable offence under IPC Section 188, and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, emits harmful gases that pollutes the environment and also, leads to diseases.

Dhesi also directed district officers to achieve the goal of custom hiring centre so that farmers could make use of modern agri equipment and adopt in-situ crop residue management.

He said that so far, in district Sirsa, 70 custom hiring centres had been set up and 50 more would be set up this year.

Besides, for crop residue management, straw management, happy seeder, paddy straw chopper, shedder, mulcher, shrub master, cutter-cum-spreader, reversible plough, zero till, seed till and rotavator would be provided at 50 per cent subsidy to the farmers. For this, offline applications have been invited from farmers up to May 31, he added.