CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking compensation for farmers for crop resident management. The move was made in a bid to check stubble burning, which has become one of the major causes of the toxic smog that has covered northern India. Singh requested Modi to convene a meeting of chief ministers of all affected states, along with the Union Ministers for Agriculture, Food, and Environment.
He also sought a bonus of Rs 100 per quintal as incentive to compensate the farmers to manage the crop residue scientifically, instead of burning paddy straw. Singh said that the problem was mostly scientific and economic, which is why the issue could not be tackled through other ways. Captain Amarinder said, “Scientific management and disposal of paddy straw entails significant cost for the farmers and the cheaper and easy solution of burning the crop residue is 'naturally preferred'.” He added there were no technical or biological systems for managing this farm operation that were economically attractive to the farmer.
Stating that the current pollution crisis was largely triggered by burning of paddy straw in paddy-growing areas of Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, he asked Modi to get the matter examined on priority and announce a compensation of cost management of crop residue at Rs 100 per quintal on wheat, and later for paddy to incentivise the farmers to not burn their crop residue. This was the third letter written by the chief minister to Modi on the issue.
Singh also refuted any possibility of a meeting with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, saying the issue of pollution crisis had “nothing to do with Kejriwal, as it is a much bigger issue involving all states contributing to pollution”. Kejri had earlier sought a meeting with Singh, in a Twitter interaction, to discuss the issue of smog, to which the latter had explained that the issue could only be solved by the Central Government. Kejri had also said that the Punjab government should give subsidy on loans to farmers to tackle the issue. Singh had responded saying, “Mr Kejriwal is a peculiar person who has views on everything without understanding the situation. There is 20 million tonne of paddy straw. Where do I ask the farmers to store it? So Mr Kejriwal doesn't understand this problem.”
