An inter-Ministerial meeting took place on August 3, 2023, co-chaired by Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, and Bhupender Yadav, Minister of Environment, Forest & Climate Change. The main purpose of the meeting was to assess the readiness of the states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and the National Capital Territory of Delhi in their efforts to prevent paddy stubble burning during the current season.
During a meeting, the States presented their plans to prevent stubble burning. They were advised to use funds for crop residue management, provide machinery for Crop Residue Management before harvesting, and conduct awareness activities with ICAR and other stakeholders.
The Union Minister for Environment mentioned that efforts in the last five years have reduced burning instances in certain states and emphasized the need for ex situ management of paddy straw to benefit user industries like Power and biomass.
The Minister for Agriculture, Narendra Singh Tomar, commended all stakeholders for their commitment to addressing paddy stubble burning. He acknowledged the decreasing instances of burning due to their efforts but emphasized that the issue affects not only Delhi's pollution but also soil health and fertility. The current season's goal is to achieve zero stubble burning. The Government is providing sufficient funds to the four States under the Crop Residue Management (CRM) scheme, and they must ensure timely distribution of machinery to farmers.
States should monitor the proper utilization of machines and bio-decomposers. Encouraging the commercial use of paddy straw through ex situ management is essential. Enhanced awareness campaigns are needed to prevent stubble burning, utilizing agencies like Agriculture Technology Management Agencies (ATMA) to their fullest potential.
The meeting was attended by several prominent figures, including Surya Pratap Shahi, the Agriculture Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Gurmeet Singh Khudian, the Agriculture Minister of Punjab, Jai Prakash Dalal, the Agriculture Minister of Haryana, and Gopal Rai, the Environment Minister of NCT of Delhi. Additionally, senior officers from the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Environment (Government of India), and representatives from the states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, NCT of Delhi, and ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) were also present.
