Tuesday, August 21, 2018
- Chandigarh, Aug 21 – Haryana Chief Secretary, Mr. D.S. Dhesi has directed the Deputy Commissioners of eight districts to provide Super Straw Management System for crop residue management to Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs) and individual farmers by August 31 to completely eliminate the practice of crop residue burning in the ensuing season. The Central Government has made it mandatory to install Super Straw Management System equipment with Harvesting Combiners so as to reduce pollution.
- Mr. Dhesi was presiding over meeting with Deputy Commissioners of eight districts namely Ambala, Kaithal, Kurukshetra, Yamunanagar, Karnal, Sonepat, Jind and Fatehabad, through video conferencing, here today. The Vice-Chancellor of Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University also joined the video conferencing.
- He directed the Deputy Commissioners to verify the equipment which would be procured through CHCs by August 31 and ensure their timely supply. He directed the Sub Divisional Officers to visit sensitive villages up to September 10 and make people aware about the schemes being run for crop residue management and their benefits. He also directed them to keep a vigil on the villages where cases of crop residue burning were reported last year, and make people aware about penalty. Mobile flying squads should also be deputed in such villages. Apart from this, he directed them to examine FIRs registered last year and organise awareness camps at block level. The Chief Secretary directed the District Information and Public Relations Officers to disseminate information to people through social media such as Facebook, tweeter and YouTube.
- It was informed that special awareness camps would be organised at block and district levels from September 1 to 30 to make farmers aware about crop residue management. Apart from this, exhibition and training programmes for farmers would be organised from September 1 to November 30 in which training would be imparted to about 10,000 farmers.
- Haryana Government has made a provision to provide 80 per cent grant on the purchase of agriculture equipment through CHC and 50 per cent grant in case of individual purchase. For this purpose, the Central Government has provided Rs 137 crore.
- The Principal Secretary, Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Dr Abhilaksh Likhi apprised in detail about the arrangements made for ensuring not burning of crop residue in fields. Dr Likhi said that through Information, Public Relations and Languages Department, Haryana, promotional materials are being displayed on all permanent hoardings in the state and special promotional materials are being displayed on Haryana Roadways buses.
- A special awareness campaign will be launched through all auto rickshaws in the cities for spreading awareness. The Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Department has been directed to install at least two or three such promotional hoardings in all villages. All the promotional materials would be put in place by September 15, 2018. Debates, speeches, painting and slogan writing competitions would be held on straw burning in schools and colleges and awareness rallies would be conducted in villages through school students, he added.