Bathinda: Union minister of state for housing and urban affairs Tokhan Sahu took stock of the crop residue management at a village in Moga in Punjab on Thursday.
Aiming to get first-hand experience, the minister drove a tractor at Khosa Pando village and made bales of the crop residue while encouraging farmers to avoid crop residue burning and manage it in the fields.
Sahu said the smog generated from stubble burning has various effects. He express satisfaction over the efforts being made to arrest the trend of stubble burning. “I was delighted that there are balers to gather the stubble, bundle it and send it further. This can help stop the smog. The farmers need to stop burning crop residue”, said the minister.
Punjab has been facing criticism from the Supreme Court, National Green Tribunal and Commission for Air Quality Management for stubble burning in the state. The court had directed the state to take strict measures to contain stubble burning.
Earlier, the minister chaired a meeting to review the works being done under the Aspirational District and Block Programme in Moga. He expressed concern over Punjab’s depleting groundwater levels, urging farmers to adopt crop diversification. He mentioned that since the programme’s inception in 2018, Moga district has received Rs 14 crore for healthcare, education, infrastructure, agriculture, and financial development.