More than 10,000 farmers have showed their keenness to join the Haryana Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Department’s campaign against stubble burning, by applying for agricultural implements under the crop residue management scheme ‘Promotion of Agricultural Mechanization for In-Situ Management of Crop’.
This follows a recent decision of the Haryana government to give preference to small and marginal farmers in hiring machinery from Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs) and providing equipment to individual beneficiaries under the scheme.
While stating this, Additional Chief Secretary, Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Department, Sanjeev Kaushal, said that online applications had been invited from individual farmers and societies till 21 August. As many as 10,967 farmers applied for 13,611 implements, against a target of 3,561 implements. This includes 2,300 applications for hiring equipment from CHCs, and 11,311 applications from individual beneficiaries.
He said that in the individual category, the beneficiaries were being selected by the District Level Executive Committee through an online lottery, in which 70 per cent reservation had been made for small and marginal farmers. Similar reservation of 70 per cent had also been made for small and marginal farmers for hiring equipment from CHCs. As many as 2,265 beneficiaries have so far been selected under the scheme, including 1,714 individuals and 551 who would.
A comprehensive plan to the tune of Rs 1,304.95 crore has been approved for crop residue management to prevent stubble burning in the state. The Central government has provided Rs 170 crore to the state under this plan this year.
As per ICAR data, the initiatives taken by the department had led to a sharp decline of 68.12 per cent in actual fire locations in 2019, as compared to 2018. While 4,122 AFLs (active fire locations) were found in the state between November 6 and 30, 2018, only 1,314 AFLs were found during the corresponding period in 2019.