Instructions to keep stubble burners farmers out of minimum support for crops

The government can take steps like not giving support price for crops to farmers who burn stubble. Citing the Supreme Court’s 2023 recommendation in this regard, the Center has started taking steps in this direction this year.

Letters to this effect have been sent to the state governments of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan. State governments were directed to form teams to identify farmers burning stubble. All measures should be implemented so that those committing such acts can be identified. The Center has also asked for the report of the action taken so far in this regard from the Chief Secretaries of the states.

The issue of fines and punitive action against farmers involved in stubble burning is politically thorny and was one of the major issues raised in the farmer protests of 2020.21.

In a meeting of the Committee of Secretaries chaired by the Cabinet Secretary on April 10, the Central Government took stock of the scheme and asked for ‘red entry’ in all agricultural records identified through ISRO protocol and to keep such farmers out of MSP from ‘2024.25. Has gone.

This fact has also come to light that maximum cases of stubble burning come from Punjab. The area under paddy is continuously increasing in Punjab, which was 31 lakh hectares in 2023. It is now expected to increase to 41 lakh hectares.

Similarly, the area under paddy cultivation in Haryana is likely to increase from 14.82 lakh hectares last year to 15.73 lakh hectares. As a result, paddy straw will also increase in both the states.

According to central assessment, last year in Punjab the Red entry. Which deprives a particular farmer of many types of government benefits. Was done only in 2.6 percent of the total cases. The COS believed that Punjab now needs to exercise strictness at every level.

After the COS meeting (January 17), another letter has been sent in which a demand has been made to implement the orders of the Supreme Court and the instructions of the COS. It is said that in this letter, the state governments have been asked to make proper entry in the agricultural records for all the cases of stubble burning identified through ISRO protocol. So that farmers burning stubble can be kept out of MSP facility from 2024-25.