IEP SAS Nagar, July 21
To gear up for the paddy straw management in advance, the Deputy Commissioner, Aashika Jain held a meeting with Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development), all Sub-Divisional Magistrates, Chief Agricultural Officer and officials of various departments and progressive farmers for making the requisite machinery available during the harvest season. She said that in view of the sowing of paddy in an area of 39000 hectares in the district this time, an action plan should be drawn up for the maintenance of stubble before the harvesting season. She said that out of this, 16000 hectares would be managed by In situ (disposal by plowing in the field itself) and 23000 hectares of ex-situ (disposal outside the field) measures. She said that since most of the 962 stubble management machines in the district are for in-situ disposal, farmers and groups should be encouraged for ex-situ machines like baler, rake etc. as the area for ex situ disposal is more. She said that the farmers and groups should also be informed about the extension in the date of submitting applications till August 15 on stubble management machinery and agriculture mechanized machinery subsidy by the government through mass awareness. She said that out of the 327 online applications received by July 20, the demand for 20 balers should be met as well as encouraged to get more baler machines. She said that the Punjab government has increased the amount for subsidy limit from 5 lakhs to 15 lakhs for custom hiring centers, now they can get a subsidy of Rs 12 lakh rupees at the rate of 80 percent subsidy, so instead of getting it individually, the groups should be encouraged to procure it. She also asked the Punjab Pollution Control Board to encourage the industrialists to set up pellet units for straw management along with existing biomass plants in the district. She said that awareness should be raised about the subsidy amount of Rs 28 lakhs at the total cost of Rs 70 lakhs per tonne for setting up a pallet unit. She fixed targets for Sub-Divisional Magistrate Derabassi, Mohali and Kharar for timely acquisition of stubble management machinery and other activities in the district to make stubble management machinery available at individual or custom hiring centers operational before the harvest season. They were also asked to create awareness about the extension of applying date to August 15 for stubble management machinery being provided on subsidy. DSP Ashok Sharma, Executive Engineer Punjab Pollution Control Board Gursharan Das Garg, DDPO Amarinder Singh Chauhan, DR Co-operative Societies Gurbir Dhillon, DFSC Dr Navreet, Chief Agriculture Officer Gurmail Singh, Baler owners, representatives of Bio Mass Units, Agriculture Department officials/employees and progressive farmers participated in the meeting.
