Lok Sabha Question No. 1016 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-02-07
Subject: Pollution due to Stubble Burning
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Manish Tewari

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 1016

TO BE ANSWERED ON 07.02.2020

## Pollution due to Stubble Burning

## 1016. SHRI MANISH TEWARI:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has come to a definitive conclusion that stubble burning is responsible for the annual pollution crisis in Delhi NCR;
- (b) if so, the details thereof along with the sources responsible for air pollution in Delhi NCR;
- (c) whether any assessment has been made regarding the impact in the delay in planting of paddy as a result of Government instructions on pollution in Delhi NCR;
- (d) the  details  of  the  monetary  incentives  that  have  been  provided  to  the  farmers  for using alternative methods for stubble disposal; and
- (e) the reasons for alarming levels of pollution in North India, especially Delhi, despite implementation  of  the  Graded  Response  Action  Plan  (GRAP)  and  Comprehensive Action Plan (CAP)?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI BABUL SUPRIYO)

(a) to (e) Stubble  burning  in  states  like  Punjab,  Haryana,  Uttar  Pradesh  and  biomass burning in Delhi during the months of October and November, is one of the contributors to the  poor  air  quality  in  north  India  specifically  in  Delhi  and  NCR.    Other  factors  like industrial  emissions,  vehicular  emissions,  road  and  soil  dust,  construction  and  demolition activities also contribute to it.  Delhi faces the problem of poor air quality particularly during winter months due to local and regional emissions coupled with its unique geography and adverse  meteorological  conditions.  As  per,  SAFAR  portal  (System  of  Air  Quality  and Weather Forecasting and Research by  Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune) the stubble burning was estimated to have contributed between 2% to 44% for PM2.5 levels in Delhi during October- November 2019 and the contribution was more than 30% only for 3 days during the said period.

In  order  to  control  stubble  burning,  a  new  Central  Sector  Scheme  on 'Promotion of Agricultural Mechanization for In-Situ Management of Crop Residue in the States  of  Punjab,  Haryana,  Uttar  Pradesh  and  NCT  of  Delhi'  is  being  administered  by Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, with allocation of Central funds to the tune of Rs.  1178.47  Crore.    Under  this  Scheme,  machines  and  equipment  for  in-situ  crop  residue management  such  as  Super  Straw  Management  System  (SMS)  for  Combine  Harvesters, Happy  Seeders,  Hydraulically  Reversible  MB  Plough,  Paddy  Straw  Chopper,  Mulcher,

Rotary Slasher, Zero Till Seed Drill and Rotavators etc. are provided with 50% subsidy to the individual farmers and 80% subsidy for establishment of 'Custom Hiring Centers'. The State Governments during 2018-19 have supplied around 56,290 machines on subsidy for insitu management of crop residue with similar targets during 2019-20.

As a result of continuous efforts in this direction a reduction of about 18.8%  and 31%  in active fire incidences in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh has been recorded  in 2019 over 2018 and 2017, respectively.

The Government of Punjab brought out a scheme for providing compensation @ Rs.  100/-per  quintal  to  small  and  marginal  farmers  to  manage  paddy  residue,  in-situ, without  burning.    The  Government  of  Haryana  also  brought  out  a  scheme  to  provide operational charge of Rs. 1000/-per acre for in-situ crop residue management.

*****