Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Sunday demanded that the State Government should give compensation of at least Rs 2,500 per acre for crop residue management to small and marginal farmers who did not burn stubble.
“If Punjab can give Rs 2,500 per acre as compensation to small and marginal farmers who refrained from burning crop residue, why can’t Haryana do the same,” the senior Congress leader asked.
The State Government’s announcement of giving Rs 1,000 per acre as operational charge for managing crop residue would not be enough, Hooda said while speaking in his hometown, Rohtak.
The Leader of Opposition in the Haryana Assembly also suggested the government to fix a minimum support price for crop residue and purchase it from farmers the same way it procures crops.
Regarding pollution levels increasing due to stubble burning, Hooda said that blaming farmers who set fire to crop residue is not going to solve the problem as various stakeholders need to find a solution to the issue.
“There are various factors that cause pollution. Burning stubble is only one of them. There is pollution caused by vehicle fumes, industries, construction activities and several other factors that are responsible for it. Just putting the blame on farmers is not the right thing to do,” he said.
Notably, burning of crop residue by farmers in Haryana and Punjab is being stated to be one of the major reasons behind the severe pollution levels in Delhi-NCR.
