Stubble burning incidents fallen due to machinery support: Agri secy

The government has provided farmers with relevant equipment and necessary interventions to tackle the problem, said Agriculture Secretary Devesh Chaturvedi

Stubble burning incidents in Delhi-NCR, Punjab and Haryana have reduced this year due to government support for farm machinery and other measures, Agriculture Secretary Devesh Chaturvedi said on Monday.

The government has provided farmers with relevant equipment and necessary interventions to tackle the problem, Chaturvedi told reporters on the sidelines of an event.

"Certainly...because of the policy of providing machineries and in-situ and ex-situ measures, the incidents of stubble burning in Delhi, NCR, Punjab and Haryana have reduced," he said.

There have hardly been incidents of stubble burning in the last ten days, he said.

Stubble burning by farmers in northern India after harvesting has been a major contributor to severe air pollution in Delhi and surrounding areas during winter months.

When asked about other pollution sources, Chaturvedi said other ministries were better placed to comment.

"If there are other reasons (for pollution), other ministries are best to say," he added.