During the meeting chaired by Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav, Tuesday. (Twitter @byadavbjp)Looking to find a permanent solution to the issue of stubble burning, Haryana government is working on a plan to buy paddy straw at minimum support price, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar Tuesday said.
“Working in the direction of finding a permanent solution for stubble management, the state government is also making a plan to buy paddy straw at MSP. This will directly benefit the farmers along with giving them an option of earning additional income,” Khattar was quoted in an official statement as saying during meeting chaired by Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav on crop residue management and air pollution control in the Delhi-NCR region.
Ministers and officials of various departments of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan governments attended the meeting held through video conferencing.
Khattar said paddy is grown in about 4,800 villages in Haryana. The villages have been divided into three colour zones namely green, yellow and red, he said, adding his government has implemented a framework to control stubble burning and it includes in-situ crop residue management, ex-situ management, effective monitoring, enforcement and wide reach of information, education and communication (IEC) activities.
Under in-situ management, 23 lakh metric tonne crop residue will be utilised through various machines and decomposers, and 13 MT crop residue will be utilised under ex-situ management.
“This year, 7,146 machines have been made available to farmers for stubble management. A total of 72,777 machines have been provided to farmers through custom hiring centres and individually for stubble management in the last four years. An incentive of Rs 1000 per acre to farmers for bailing is being given by the state government and along with transportation charge of bales at Rs 500 per acre limited to a maximum of Rs 15,000 to gaushalas,” he said.
The CM said, “Soon, a tender would also be floated for the use of 20 lakh MT of torrefied biomass pellets in the thermal plants”.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Khattar said his government’s efforts to stop stubble burning were yielding results and just 81 cases of farm fires had been recorded in the state so far this season.
He also said that use and sale of only green crackers would be allowed in the state to curb pollution ahead of the festive season. “No other firecracker will be allowed. A circular has been issued,” Khattar said.
According to an official statement, Yadav said dedicated efforts of the state government to decrease the stubble burning graph had certainly yielded positive results.
“Haryana has laid special emphasis on reducing the increasing pollution levels as a result of which there has been a drastic reduction in the use of diesel run-generators in housing societies of Gurugram,” Yadav added.
During the meeting, Khattar assured Yadav that to ensure stubble management in the state, various schemes were being implemented effectively at the ground level.
The chief minister further said the deadline given to brick kilns regarding the use of clean fuel in the Haryana NCR region should be extended till March 31, 2023.
He urged the Union minister to make a provision for a loan facility from banks at a viable rate of interest to the industrialists for setting up the technologies required for the use of clean fuel. He ensured Yadav that the state government would give more impetus to the efforts already being taken to control air pollution.
Khattar also urged Yadav to ensure CNG-PNG supply in the industrial areas of the Haryana NCR region such as Israna, Samalkha, Gohana, and Jhajjar at the earliest.