IEP Chandigarh, November 2-
Haryana Chief Minister has termed unfortunate the statements being made by his Punjab counterpart Sh. Bhagwant Mann on pollution caused by stubble burning.He said that instead of finding a solution to stubble burning, Maan is doing politics of blame games and counter-accusation.”Bhagwant Maan instigating the farmers, instead of levelling false allegations against Centre Government. Instead of doing this, he should chalk out a detailed strategy to tackle stubble management”, said Sh. Manohar Lal.The Chief Minister said that Punjab should follow Haryana’s footsteps and incentivize farmers for stubble management.The Chief Minister said that the incidents of stubble burning in Haryana have come down by 25 percent this year. So far in the year 2022, only 2249 incidents of farm fires have been reported in Haryana, whereas in Punjab these incidents have increased by 20 per cent. So far, 21,500 such incidents have been reported in Punjab, added Sh. Manohar Lal.He said that like Haryana, Punjab should also make arrangements for stubble management. A provision of giving an incentive of Rs 1000 per acre has been made by the Haryana government to those who do not burn stubble.Besides this, Rs. 50 per quintal incentive amount and subsidy on straw management equipment are given to the farmers for making stubble bales. Farmers are being given a 50 percent subsidy on equipment for crop residue management and an 80 percent subsidy on custom hiring centres, informed Sh. Manohar Lal.He said that if the farmer takes stubble bales to the Ethanol Plant in Karnal and Panipat, then he is given an incentive of Rs. 2000 per acre. Furthermore, if a farmer takes stubble in Gaushalas, then an incentive amount of Rs 1500 is given to them, informed the Chief Minister.Not only this, Haryana is also giving cash rewards of up to Rs 10 lakh to the panchayat for not burning stubble in the Red Zone area. Last year, the government made a provision of Rs 216 crore for stubble management, shared Sh. Manohar Lal.The Chief Minister said that AAP leaders first announce freebies and then expect help from the central government to fulfill their fake promises.Delhi Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal earlier blamed the farmers of Punjab and Haryana for the pollution in Delhi and now his entire blame game has shifted to Haryana only as his party has come to power in Punjab. The same is the case with the Yamuna in Delhi, in which pollution levels are so high that it has become like a drain. Instead of doing petty politics, the Aam Aadmi Party governments in Delhi and Punjab should do some work in public welfare,” added Sh. Manohar Lal.He said that the incidents of stubble burning are monitored by satellite and there is no doubt that the Punjab government has completely failed in farm fire management.”The Maan-led government is blaming its failure on the central government which is very unfortunate. The stubble-burning issue has remained serious for many years, but it seems that Punjab is bought playing petty politics rather than finding a solution. Maan government should give incentives to the farmers like Haryana and should not also depend on the central government or anyone else to resolve their issues,” said Sh. Manohar Lal.
