New Delhi, Oct. 13 -- Ahead of the peak crop residue burning season, the Centre on Tuesday asked Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi-NCR governments to work in "mission mode" to prevent stubble burning.

A high-level inter-ministerial meeting, chaired by Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, reviewed stubble management with state agriculture ministers and officials.

"Very little time remains between the harvesting of the current crop and the sowing of the rabi crop. Therefore, the administrative machinery must step away from paperwork and work directly on the ground on a war footing," the two ministers said.

States have been asked to hold immediate meetings with district magistrates to ensure strict monitoring and practical solutions.

Reviewing data for September 15 to October 12, Chouhan noted a significant fall in burning incidents over the previous year: 53.3 per cent in Haryana and about 32 per cent in Uttar Pradesh. Punjab also recorded a decline.

However, he termed the rise in Madhya Pradesh (55 to 277 cases, up 452 per cent) and Rajasthan (20 to 60, up 200 per cent) "extremely concerning".

He directed both states to identify affected districts and villages and put a special action plan in place immediately. With a large part of the harvest still to come, states with fewer incidents must not become complacent, he said.

Farmers get only 20-25 days between paddy harvest and wheat sowing, and burning remains the quickest and cheapest way to clear fields, despite damaging soil nutrients and organisms and worsening air pollution in Delhi-NCR.

The real test will come in the mid-October to mid-November peak, when harvesting overlaps with the wheat sowing window. "Simply telling farmers not to burn stubble is insufficient; we must provide them with easy, accessible and affordable alternatives," Chouhan said.

Residue incorporated into the soil becomes organic manure, while residue removed from fields can earn farmers extra income through bio-CNG, bio-ethanol, electricity and fodder, he said.

The aim, he added, is to build a system where farmers don't feel the need to burn and can also gain from eco-friendly practices such as carbon credits.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.