Punjab offers rewards to stop stubble burning

Chandigarh, Feb 25 (IANS) The Punjab government Wednesday announced rewards to districts and villages across the state which curb the unhealthy practice of burning stubble (residue of harvested crops).

"The Punjab government has announced an incentive for each district and village with a financial grant of Rs.1 crore and Rs.1 lakh respectively, which were free from the burning of stubble," a state government spokesman said here.

"This decision has been taken to curb the practice of straw burning, which was not only a health hazard but equally detrimental to the fertility of soil," the spokesman said.

He said it was considered that resorting to punitive measures to end this menace would not yield results and hence it was decided to reward the districts and villages which curbed the practice of straw burning.

The burning of crops straw leads to massive air pollution during harvesting season. This leads to health issues for many people.

The Punjab government has urged agriculture scientists, environment experts and farmers to join hands for curbing the unhealthy practice and suggest ways for farmers to dispose off the crop residue after harvesting.

Punjab contributes over 50 percent of food grains, wheat and paddy, to the national kitty despite having just 1.54 percent of geographical area of the country.

In the recent years, the state has seen bumper crops of wheat and paddy.