Chandigarh, February 20: Chief Minister, Sh. Manohar Lal said that we will leave no stone unturned to transform the stubble-burning challenges into wealth-creating opportunities. “Stubble and water management is the need of the hour. Haryana has taken commendable steps to reduce the cases of paddy straw burning,” he added.

The Chief Minister was addressing the workshop organized on the topic ‘Parali-Ek Punji’, ‘Efficient Paddy Stubble Management - Need of the hour’. On the occasion, Punjab Chief Minister, Sh. Bhagwant Mann, Union Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Sh. Bhupender Yadav and Haryana Agriculture Minister, Sh. JP Dalal were present.

Sh. Manohar Lal said that stubble burning cases have significantly lowered by 40 percent. He said that the water dispute should be settled mutually.

The Chief Minister said that Haryana is already giving Delhi with an additional 250 cusecs of water. “Haryana should get its legitimate water share,” he added.

He said that an incentive amount of Rs. 2,500 per tonne on stubble along with other subsidies is being given by the state government to the farmers. The Chief Minister said that the new policy aimed to create a conducive environment for private investment in paddy straw-based biomass power projects, industries, compress biogas plants, waste-to-energy plants, brick kilns, packaging materials, biofuels, etc. to constructively utilise the stubble.

He informed that 2 lakh MT of paddy straw will be consumed in the Bio-Gas plant to be installed in Panipat and more such initiatives are on the cards.

The Chief Minister said that crop residues are being utilized through various machines and decomposers. “Through all these initiatives, we are ensuring that the income of the farmers can be increased through the stubble,” he added.

Sh. Manohar Lal said that in Haryana through its ambitious 'Meri Pani Meri Virasat' scheme, the government is promoting crop diversification which has substantially supported in conserving water and benefitted the farmers at large scale. He added that the farmers have started opting for crops that consume less water.

The Chief Minister said that to control stubble burning, the state government has implemented a framework that includes in-situ crop residue management, ex-situ management, effective monitoring, enforcement, and a wide reach of information education and communication (IEC) activities is also being ensured. “The state government has also formulated a special framework for stubble management to reduce pollution," added the CM.

He said that incentive amounts and subsidies on straw management equipment are given to the farmers for making stubble bales. Besides this, farmers are being given a 50 percent subsidy on equipment for crop residue management and an 80 percent subsidy on custom hiring centers, he added.

Sh. Manohar Lal said that Haryana is accelerating towards reducing the effect of stubble burning by 50 percent and more. “The farmers should support the state government for this noble cause by not burning the paddy straw. It is the need of the hour for protecting the environment of the state," he added.

Union Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Sh. Bhupender Yadav said that proper management of paddy stubble is the collective responsibility of all to prevent pollution.

Haryana Chief Secretary, Sh. Sanjeev Kaushal, Punjab Chief Secretary, Sh. Vijay Kumar Janjua, along with other dignitaries and stakeholders from across the country were present on the occasion.