Here’s how AAP-led Punjab govt planning its stubble-burning fight

Harvesting season in Punjab is all set to begin by October and the Aam Aadmi Party-led Punjab government has prepared a blueprint for the state’s biggest problems-the burning of paddy straw.

Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP party had promised to address stubble burning issue during the campaigning for Punjab Assembly polls this year. National capital Delhi, which is also ruled by AAP, is the biggest victim of stubble burning as the fumes from the crops’ residue engulf the city every year, resulting in an alarming spike in air pollution levels in the capital, particularly in October and November.

Therefore, the Punjab government has prepared an elaborate plan involving a massive awareness drive, distribution of thousands of crop residue management machines, and engaging students and religious places to fight paddy stubble burning during the upcoming harvest season.

“We are launching a massive awareness drive in villages to motivate farmers not to burn paddy stubble. It will involve 2,800 camps in villages across the state to dissuade farmers from burning the crop residue,” Punjab Agriculture Director Gurwinder Singh said.

Punjab generates around 180 lakh tonnes of paddy straw annually. Farmers set their fields on fire to quickly clear off the crop residue so that the field is ready for the next Rabi crop (wheat), given the short window between the two crops.

Punjab recorded 71,304 cases of stubble burning in 2021, 76,590 in 2020, 55,210 in 2019, and 50,590 in 2018 with many districts including Sangrur, Mansa, Bathinda, and Amritsar witnessing a large number of such incidents.

As a result state’s Agriculture Director said that the Punjab government officials will visit villages that report a high number of such fire incidents to sensitise farmers against stubble burning.

Farm experts will also be roped in and people will be told about the farmers who have not been burning paddy and getting a good yield.

“College students studying agriculture will also be involved in sending across a message against burning residue in villages. Rallies by school students in rural areas will be organised to motivate farmers not to set fields on fire,” said Singh.

Mobile vans will be rolled out in villages with a message of stubble management, he said, adding daily announcements against the burning of residue have also been planned from gurdwaras, temples, and common places.

Use of machines and technology

Not just awareness, the Punjab government has set a target to distribute 32,100 crop residue management machines this year.

The subsidised machines will be given to farmers under the centrally sponsored in-situ management (mixing crop residue in soil) of the paddy stubble scheme. With this, the state will’s crop management machines will go up to 1,22,522.

The Punjab government has funds worth 452 crore for giving crop residue management (CRM) machines as a subsidy to farmers.

In the past four seasons (2018-19 till 2021-22), the Centre provided a subsidy of 935 crore for 90,422 CRM machines to Punjab.

i-Khet app

Punjab’s agricultural department is also planning to launch an ‘i-Khet’ app which will provide details of the availability of CRM machines and will facilitate farmers to book them on rent.

Bio-decomposer

This week, the AAP governments in Punjab and Delhi joined hands to combat stubble burning by spraying Pusa bio-decomposer on 5,000 acres in Punjab as a pilot project.

Under the process, Pusa bio decomposer will be sprayed on stubble following which the crop residue gets mixed in the soil hence the farmers will not need to burn the crop residue, the AAP party claimed.

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