Stubble Burning Stories from Punjab in 2019; 62 Cases Reported So Far

Deccan Herald reports 62 cases of Stubble burning from Punjab so far. 

28,000 Costly Machines being forced on farmers for in-situ management of paddy straw, Is it worth giving huge subsidies, are these machines of good Quality? Wasn’t it apt to provide them a stimulus of Rs 3000 per acre to one farmer to properly manage his stubbles and enforce legal penalties if he doesn’t do. 

The Harvesting of the paddy crop is started writes Honourable Chief Minister of Punjab, Amarinder Singh and it is likely to pick up speed in next ten days. Punjab Farmers are still facing the problem  of Paddy straw stubble management  of 20 mt like yester years . The Chief  Minister reiterates the fact that the window to grow the Rabi crop is very little and hence farmers retort to stubble burning.

The cost of managing paddy straw through machines supplied to the CHC (Custom Hiring Centres)a collective of 8 farmers is between Rs 2500 to 3000 per acre which no farmer could afford. There were 1000 odd CHC’s started last year and 5858 CHC’s started this year and machines have already getting supplied to the centres. He requests  a cost of compensation  from the Central Government of Rs 100 per Quintal of Paddy to be given to the farmers to manage the stubble without resorting to open burning. 

Many activities are been ongoing in the villages to disseminate information against stubble burning. The State Governments also have informed the public that issual of challans will be there for defaulting farmers.