PM Modi Finally Asks Agriculture Ministry To Give Machines To Farmers To Stop Stubble Burning
Modi was also briefed about the pollution situation in the region.
After facing the ire of netizens for his apparent silence on the toxic pollution levels in India¡¯s national capital, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has now directed the Union Agriculture Ministry to give priority to farmers of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana in distributing equipment to prevent stubble burning.
He, however, continues to refrain from commenting directly on the issue.
This came after the Supreme Court lashed out at authorities for failing to curb severe air pollution in the Delhi and its surrounding areas.
There are agro-machines available in the market which remove stubble and governments of Haryana and Punjab are offering subsidy to farmers to buy the equipment.
The prime minister issued these directions at the meeting of Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation- PRAGATI, an ICT-based multimedia platform, a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said.
On Tuesday, Modi was briefed about the pollution situation in the region. Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister P K Mishra and Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba have been reviewing the pollution situation on a regular basis, it said.
"On the issue of stubble burning, the Prime Minister directed Agriculture Ministry to give priority to the farmers of the states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana in distribution of equipment to prevent such occurrences," it stated.
The top court today said it is a question of life and death of crores of people here but it is "very unfortunate" that the authorities are not bothered about poor people and letting them die.
Even on Thursday, Delhi's Air Quality improved from "very poor" category to "poor" category, giving only some respite to people grappling with severe pollution. The air quality index was recorded at 214 this morning but sought up to 290 in the following hours.
An AQI between 0-50 is considered ¡®good', 51-100 ¡®satisfactory', 101-200 ¡®moderate', 201-300 ¡®poor', 301-400 ¡®very poor' and 401-500 ¡®severe'. An AQI above 500 falls in the severe plus category. The AQI recorded in Gurgaon on Thursday was 168, Noida (247) and Ghaziabad (294).
The Meteorological Department forecast a generally cloudy sky with possibility of very light rain, and thundershowers during the day time on Thursday, and hoped that it may help in bringing down the pollution levels.
