Last year, the NGT had pulled up Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan governments for not submitting status reports on steps taken to prevent pollution emanating from crop burning after the harvest season. (File)
After being pulled up by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) for not doing enough to curb the menace of stubble burning, the Haryana government has decided to spend Rs 215 crore on setting up custom hiring centres (CHCs) across the state. Under an action plan prepared by the state government, nearly 900 such centres will come up in 18 districts. The CHCs will aim at ensuring proper management of crop residue and to prevent farmers from burning it. All machines and tools related to agriculture will be available in these centres and farmers can take agricultural machines or equipments on rent at nominal rates for farming works.
“High-Level Task Force of Government of India had granted funds to Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi-National Capital Region for crops residue management. Haryana has received an amount of Rs 215 crore which shall now be used for setting up CHCs. The state government will also provide 80 per cent subsidy to applicants who are allotted these CHCs, on basis of merit,” a senior officer of the agriculture department said.
Last year, the NGT had pulled up Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan governments for not submitting status reports on steps taken to prevent pollution emanating from crop burning after the harvest season. Stepping up action against farmers, the Haryana Pollution Control Board booked at least 1,000 farmers and imposed a fine of nearly Rs 12 lakh on them.
Out of 900, a maximum of 120 of these CHCs will come up in Karnal, which is also Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s constituency, followed by 112 in Kaithal, 100 in Kurukshetra, 90 in Jind, 60 each in Sonepat, Ambala and Yamunanagar, 50 each in Fatehabad, Sirsa and Panipat, 40 in Jhajjar, 30 each in Rohtak and Bhiwani, 25 in Palwal, 10 in Hisar, five each in Rewari and Faridabad and three in Panchkula.
The chosen beneficiaries who will establish these CHCs will be required to purchase agricultural implements such as Happy Seeder, Laser Land leveler, reversible plough, straw baler – hay rake with stable saver, straw chopper, straw reaper, head feed combined harvester, rotavator, mulcher, tractor, mobile grain dryer and mobile seed processor.
As per the eligibility criteria, “entrepreneurs, including manufacturers, are eligible to apply to set up these CHCs, should be properly registered under competent authority and should have proper licenses as their work demand. Applicants should also have an average annual turnover of minimum Rs 2 crore in Haryana for the last three financial years”.
Preference will be given to applicants who are willing to keep the maximum number of straw management machines. Successful applicants will have to establish Hi-Tech Custom Hiring Centre within three months from the date of issue of work/sanction order. Officers of the department will monitor the progress of the project of the selected beneficiary and after due physical verification, the subsidy will be released to the bank as per the schedule of subsidy release.
Successful applicants will also have to submit an affidavit that the CHC shall be run by him for a period of at least five years and to provide the agriculture implements to other farmers of the cluster on hiring rate to be decided by the department.