Form of words:
New Delhi: The Punjab government has thrown the ball in the court of the Center regarding the incidents of stubble burning in the state.
In an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court on Wednesday, the state listed its “sincere efforts” to discourage farmers from burning paddy straw.
However, it added that the measures require financial assistance from the Centre, for which the state has “requested” the “grace” of the top court. The “critical aspects” that Punjab has identified for the court’s intervention to reduce, prevent and prevent burning of crop residues are diversification of crops and Rs 1,500 crore for setting up 300 MW biomass power projects in the state. Related to the viability gap funding support of Rs.
Apart from this, it also wants the Center to provide an incentive of Rs 100 per quintal to the farmers to prevent mixing and burning of paddy husk in the soil.
“The state government has taken and is taking all possible steps such as diversification of crops, in situ and outdoor space management of crop residues and enforcement measures for prevention and control of stubble burning,” said the affidavit obtained by ThePrint. , states. “All the concerned departments of the state of Punjab are making serious and concerted efforts to prevent and control the causes of stubble burning, but there are financial limitations for which the state is repeatedly requesting the central government for financial assistance.”
Though the document was placed before a bench headed by Chief Justice NV Ramana, which was hearing a case related to Delhi’s poor air quality, the affidavit was not discussed.
Annoyed by the Center and the States once again failing to take immediate concrete steps to improve Delhi’s Air Quality Index, the bench directed Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Punjab to issue a statutory commission set up for better coordination, research and resolution of problems. instructed to follow the instructions. on pollution.
Read also: Uproar over stubble burning baseless: Supreme Court pulls up Centre, states over Delhi pollution
‘The incidents of stubble burning happened’
Punjab in its affidavit said that the fire incidents have come down to 62,863 in 2021 from 75,442 in 2020. With the continuous efforts of the state, there has been a significant reduction in stubble burning in the last one week.
According to the affidavit, there were 5,079 incidents on November 9, but only 1,761 fires broke out after the court heard the case on November 15.
There has also been a decline in the burnt area to be cut for the paddy crop. The area under harvest as of November 9 was 28.15 lakh hectares, while the burned area was 10.34 lakh hectares, which is 36.73 percent of the land under paddy cultivation.
In 2020, the burned area was 15.22 lakh hectares, which was 54.92 per cent of the 27.71 lakh hectares on which paddy was harvested. The state told the top court that the total amount of environmental compensation imposed on farmers for the fire in the field is over Rs 2.62 crore.
The Punjab government’s affidavit also details the efforts made towards diversification of crops to reduce paddy cultivation.
However, it added that if the Center assists the state in procuring maize and cotton crops from farmers at the Minimum Support Price (MSP), further diversification would be effective and possible to maintain.
It has also sought Centre’s assistance for diversification of about one million hectares or 10 lakh hectares of area from non-basmati paddy crop to other alternative crops.
diversification plan
As per the plan, Punjab wants to increase the cultivation of maize from the current 1.09 lakh hectare to 3.02 lakh hectare; cotton area from 2.68 lakh hectare to 6.30 lakh hectare; Basmati cultivation from 5.14 to 7.50 lakh hectares. He wants to bring an additional area of one lakh hectares under fruit, agro-forestry and vegetable cultivation.
Punjab claimed that paddy cultivation in Punjab has come down from 31.49 lakh hectare in 2020 to 29.61 lakh hectare this year. There has also been a decline in the production of paddy straw which has fallen from 20.05 lakh hectare in 2020 to 18.74 lakh hectare in 2021, the affidavit said.
Punjab presented its action plan to prevent stubble burning based on the framework of the Air Quality Commission.
More than 8,700 nodal officers are in touch with village representatives to apprise them about the ill-effects of stubble burning and the directions of the Supreme Court.
Under the in-site management plan, the state has provided 76,626 crop residue management machines in the last three years.
According to the affidavit, in 2021, 10,297 applicants were approved for 31,970 machines, of which 6,208 applicants have so far purchased 10,024 machines, submitted the affidavit. Machines have been provided to small and marginal farmers on rent basis by cooperative societies, panchayats.
The state has launched i-Khet app to map these machines and achieve maximum utilization of them. However, more machines are needed, the state said. Though it has set a target of procuring 70,000, it will be able to buy only 30,000 from the funds available under the central scheme.
On ex-situ management, the state said that it has taken steps to set up power projects for the use of paddy straw.
“Paddy straw is being promoted for use as fuel in boiler furnaces of industries. Presently, three lakh tonnes of paddy straw is being used as fuel in boiler furnaces and a target of five lakh tonnes of paddy straw utilization has been set in the current year,” it said.
Punjab has also proposed to build, operate and self-build 300 MW biomass power projects in the state, subject to a Viability Gap Fund support of Rs 1,500 crore by the Centre.
On incorporation of paddy husk into the soil, the state claimed that it costs the farmer about Rs 3,000-4,000 extra per hectare, and zero stubble burning to protect the environment, the state has requested the Centre. To provide compensation to the farmers at a cost of Rs 100 per quintal over and above the MSP. It is yet to receive any response from the Union of India, it told the court.
(Edited by Arun Prashant)
Read also: Why November has brought back Delhi’s pollution with a vengeance after a ‘cleaner’ October
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