No incentive for not burning stubble in Delhi, Punjab
The governments in Punjab and Delhi led by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have decided not to pay the incentives they promised to farmers for not burning paddy stubble during the winter harvest, informed Punjab agriculture minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal. This comes days after the Centre rejected the proposal to give Rs. 2,500 per acre to farmers for not burning the crop residue.
Why does this story matter?
Paddy stubble burning is reportedly the principal cause of pollution in winters in the national capital region and surrounding areas. As Delhi struggles with poor air quality, heavy smoke of burning stubble from neighboring states settles over the area, turning into smog and worsening pollution levels. Before mechanical harvesters, farmers used to plow manually which pushed crop residue back into the soil.
Joint proposal by Delhi, Punjab governments rejected
The Punjab and Delhi governments had sought Rs. 1,125 crore from the Centre to pay incentives to paddy cultivators, while the state governments were to chip in Rs. 375 crore each. For every acre, the Centre was expected to pay Rs. 1,500 with the state governments contributing Rs. 500 each. Later, the state governments planned to pay incentives without the Centre's help.
Punjab undergoing severe financial crisis
Punjab is said to be currently facing a severe financial crisis and the government has directed senior officials to cut down on extravagant spending. On being asked about the plan to pay Rs. 1,000 as an incentive without the Centre's help on Thursday, Dhaliwal replied, "How can we pay when the Centre is not giving?"
Subsidized machines to be provided for stubble management
The Punjab government is providing a "sufficient" number of subsidized machines to farmers for the management of stubble, said Dhaliwal. He said the total expenditure on the subsidized machines will be Rs. 452 crore and over 32,000 machines will be provided to farmers. However, of the 90,000 machines distributed for stubble management over the last four years, over 11,000 are reportedly missing.
Pusa to decompose stubble in 15-20 days
As an alternative, the AAP-led state governments have planned to launch a pilot project to use the Pusa bio-decomposer with the help of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI). Pusa is a microbial solution to decompose paddy straw in 15 to 20 days and it will be sprayed on 5,000 acres across Punjab and Delhi to prevent burning the crop residue.
