332 VILLAGES IDENTIFIED AS RED ZONES IN HARYANA

CHANDIGARH: In anticipation of stubble burning incidents across the state, the Haryana agriculture department has identified red, yellow/orange and green zones in every district on the basis of incidences of crop residue burning last year. An official spokesperson said 332 villages fall under the red zone and 675 in yellow zone.

Additional chief secretary (ACS), agriculture, Sanjeev Kaushal said the Haryana government has also decided to provide financial assistance to 11,311 individual farmers who have applied for agricultural implements under the crop residue management scheme ‘Promotion of Agricultural Mechanization for In-Situ Management of Crop’, in the current growing season.

The total assistance of about ₹155 crore at the rate of 50 % will be given. The department will also provide 454 balers, 5,820 super seeders, 5,418 zero till seed drills, 2,918 choppers/ mulchers, 260 happy seeders, 389 straw management systems, 64 rotary slashers/shrub masters, 454 reversible mould ploughs and 288 reapers to the beneficiaries.

Online applications for agricultural implements were invited from individual farmers and societies till August 21. As many as 11,311 farmers applied for 16,647 implements, against a target of 2,741, in the individual category, he said.

Enforce measures to check stubble burning: Pollution control body

A Supreme Court-mandated pollution control authority wrote to Punjab and Haryana on Tuesday asking them to “urgently” implement measures to reduce stubble burning.