-SATISH HANDA

Haryana state government has ordered complete ban over burning of crop remains in open in  the state in order to avoid controversy as regard spreading pollution in the state as well as adjoining states during paddy crop harvesting season every year as usually blamed by adjoining Punjab and Delhi states government every year as such Haryana state government has declared 199 villages in 13 districts cultivating paddy crop declared Red Zone and 723 villages declared Yellow and Orange zones. Dr Sumita Misra Additional Chief Secretary Agriculture Haryana has directed Deputy Commissioners of all districts to identify farmers in their districts burning crop remains in open and take stern action against those violating directions.

Information reveals, procurement of crop by state by state government agencies in Haryana is likely to commence from September 25 onward this year and paddy crop now is almost ready for harvesting in most of the areas in the state and district administration including agriculture department has been advised to keep strict watch over farmers burning crop remains in open in their agriculture field with the help of watchmen, villages secretaries and Patwaris in red zone areas for which satellite mapping system has been introduced in all prominent paddy crop producing districts in the state so that prompt action could be taken against those farmers burning crop remains in open.      

Among 13 prominent  paddy producing districts in Haryana state include Panchkula, Ambala, Kurukshetra, Yamunanagar, Karnal, Kaithal, Panipat, Sonepat, Palwal, Jind, Fatehabad, Bhiwani and Sirsa districts. To bring awareness among farmers cultivating paddy crop direction has been given to state agriculture department to provide necessary farm machinery to farmers to avoid illegal burning of crop remains in their agriculture field.

Haryana state government is paying Rs 100 per acre towards financial aid to farmers for prepared bundles of crop remains required for use in industry for which budget for amount worth Rs 230 crore has been approved this year by the government and farmers are being registered on government portal https/agriharyana.gov.in. According to information, 24409 farmers willing to supply crop remains to industryin the state had get themselves registered last year to avail this scheme and supplied 8.96,963 ton crop wastes to 147 industrial units. Information also reveals that state government is opening 4224 Custom Hiring Centres n Haryana to dispose of crop waste and avoid burning in open for which amount worth Rs 141 crore has been sanctioned by the government.