New Delhi: The central government has spent Rs 3,623.45 crore since 2018 to reduce the problem of crop residue management and stubble burning. This information was provided by Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh in Lok Sabha. Most of this amount was allocated to Punjab, which received Rs 1,681.45 million.
funds received by states
After Punjab, Haryana has been allocated Rs 1,081.71 million, Uttar Pradesh Rs 763.67 million, Delhi Rs 6.05 million and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Rs 83.35 million. rupees.
Schemes and uses
This amount has been spent mainly on subsidizing crop residue handling machines and establishing Customized Hiring Centers (CHCs). The government has implemented extensive plans to prevent incidents of stubble burning and promote sustainable agricultural practices. More than three million machines have been distributed so far, including 4,500 balers and rakes, which collect stubble and prepare it for external use.
New guidelines and technical solutions
In 2018, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare launched a plan for crop residue management, which was revised until 2023. Under the new guidelines, financial assistance is provided to establish the supply chain and machinery for crop residue management. stubble
The government has mandated the use of the Super Straw Management System (SMS) for on-site management of straw in the field. Apart from this, a biodecomposer developed by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) is also used to convert stubble into organic manure.
Initiative to improve air quality
The central government has drawn up several plans to ban burning of crop residue and increase alternative use of straw. In this sense, financial aid is provided for the installation of pelletizing and roasting plants. The government is providing assistance of up to Rs 1.4 crore for these plants, while assistance of up to Rs 2.8 crore is being provided for larger torrefaction plants.
So far, 17 such plants have been approved, of which 15 will process around 2.70 lakh tonnes of straw every year. This initiative is an effort to control air pollution caused by stubble burning, as well as to give a new direction to the environmental and agricultural sector.
