₹500-crore crop residue mgmt plan in the works

{ TO CHECK STUBBLE BURNING }

- Gurpreet Singh Nibber

CHANDIGARH: A ₹500-crore outlay is being prepared for crop residue management (CRM) in Punjab to handle paddy stubble both in-situ and ex-situ during the upcoming kharif (paddy) harvest, set to begin in October.

The state's agriculture department and the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) are working on an action plan mandated by the Supreme Court (SC).

Stubble burning, a common practice for clearing land following paddy harvest, is often blamed for the sharp and sustained rise in pollution levels in the National Capital Region during the October-November. However, researchers led by those at Japan's Research Institute for Humanity and Nature under the 'Aakash Project' say the Delhi-NCR's pollution during October-November is largely of local origin, with stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana contributing only 14% to the overall PM2.5 levels in 2022.