To combat the raging issue of stubble burning which is a major cause of air pollution, the Punjab and Delhi governments have joined hands in a pilot project to spray Pusa bio-decomposer, the microbial solution that can break down the stubble to manure, on 5,000 acres of farmlands in Punjab.
The bio-decomposer, developed by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, is capable of decomposing the stubble and helps prepare the farmers to sow their next crop in a matter of around 20 days.
Punjab Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal said that high-level meetings were held in New Delhi Wednesday on the issue. Earlier in the day, Dhaliwal met Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who gave him full support regarding the management of the pollution caused by stubble burning in New Delhi.
Later, he held deliberations with Delhi’s Agriculture Minister Gopal Rai. He said that the project would be implemented jointly by the governments of both the states.
Dhaliwal said that Pusa bio-decomposer would be sprayed on the stubble, which would then get mixed in the soil and hence the farmers would not need to burn the agricultural residue. “The Punjab government had taken adequate preparations to prevent the pollution caused by paddy stubble by setting up surveillance teams in all districts. The farmers in Punjab are provided equipment on subsidy,” he said in a statement.
The minister also came down heavily on the Union Government for turning down a cash incentive proposal to farmers for not burning stubble. He called the step anti-farmer and anti-Punjab. “The Punjab government had proposed to give Rs 2,500 per acre to paddy growers under the impression that the Centre would pay Rs 1,500 per acre, while Rs 1,000 per acre will be borne by the Punjab and Delhi governments,” he said.
He said that a massive awareness drive would be launched in the rural belts of Punjab comprising officers of Rural Development and Panchayat, Punjab Pollution Control Board, and others to persuade farmers to manage the stubble.
Dhaliwal urged the farmers to give full support to the government’s efforts to protect land, air, and water from pollution to guarantee a better environment for the future generation.
Additional chief secretary of agriculture Sarvjit Singh and microbiologist Dr Loveleen Shukla were also present in the high-level meeting held in Delhi.
