Bihar Takes Strict Measures to Curb Stubble Burning with Drone Surveillance and Subsidies

Burning of stubble causes more air pollution, due to which people have to face many problems. Also, burning straw in large quantities has a greater impact on the environment, due to which the fertility of the soil also gradually starts to diminish. By the way, in many states of the country, the administration is also monitoring to stop the burning of stubble. In view of this, now the burning of stubble is monitored through drones in Bihar too. If any farmer is found burning stubble in the fields, then he is deprived of all the benefits provided by the Agriculture Department. Not only this, their DBT registration will also be suspended. By making the rules strict, farmers burning stubble will not be able to sell their paddy even in PACS and trade boards. According to satellite images and aerial reports, action is also being taken against farmers who repeatedly burn residue.
The state government is constantly making farmers aware about the damage caused by burning stubble. Apart from this, the government is also providing assistance to farmers at every level so that advanced farming can be done. To increase the income of farmers, the state government gives subsidy on agricultural equipment to farmers under the Crop Residue Management Scheme. Farmers are informed from time to time that crop residue management increases the fertility of the soil. This does not cause the problem of increasing soil temperature. Crop residue management increases the water holding capacity in the soil. This improves the physical, chemical and biological quality of the soil. Soil erosion is reduced by crop residue management. Crop residue management also does not harm the microbes and earthworms present in the soil.
To prevent stubble burning in the fields and to protect the environment, farmers are being made aware by 9 departments of the state. District level officers of all departments including Agriculture, Forest and Environment, Health, Education, Livelihood, Animal Husbandry, Public Relations, Three-tier Panchayati Raj Institutions, Cooperatives are running public awareness campaigns on crop residue management through their respective regional workers and officials. Awareness campaign is also being run on a large scale among the farmers and the general public about the damage caused by burning the crop residue in the fields. People are being made aware by organizing orientation sessions so that they can get complete information about it.
To avoid the damage caused by burning the crop residue (stubble), the state government has made a provision of 75 percent subsidy on agricultural equipment helpful in crop residue management and 80 percent subsidy to Scheduled Caste-Scheduled Tribe and Extremely Backward Classes. Emphasis is being laid on reducing the use of combine harvesting. The agricultural equipment useful in crop residue management on which subsidy is being given includes Happy Seeder and Tillage Machine for sowing, Rotary Mulcher for cutting crop residue into small pieces and spreading it in the field, Straw Reaper and Straw Baler for collecting crop residue and Reapak-cum-Binder Machine for cutting and making bundles of crop, in which crop residue (straw) is collected with the help of machines and used in animal fodder etc. or mixed in the field itself. The Agriculture Department has decided that the benefits of the schemes of the Agriculture Department will be given only to those farmers who will not burn crop residue. Apart from this, work is being done on the plan for the use of crop residue and government assistance for this. Against the target of covering 75,000 acres of land under organic farming, till now a total of 1,12,081 acres of land has been covered, which is more than the target. Against the target of covering 65 thousand 753 acres of land under drip irrigation, 26 thousand 615 acres of land has been covered so far.
The Agriculture Department is encouraging farmers to adopt methods like using baler machines, making vermicompost and mixing crop residues in the soil instead of burning crop residues in the fields. While the Health Department is running a public awareness campaign among the people through ANM and ASHA workers about the effects of burning crop residues on human health such as eye, nose, throat irritation and other diseases. Burning crop residues increases the amount of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and other harmful compounds in the atmosphere, which causes air pollution. This can also aggravate the problem of climate change. In the year 2008, 4904 vermicompost units were established and 78 community ponds were constructed. In the year 2009, Krishi Vikas Shivir was organized in 5 villages of each block of the state to solve the problems of the farmers on the spot and to provide information about the schemes of agriculture and allied departments.
The administration is ready to stop burning of crop residue and is making farmers aware about crop residue management. The education department will teach about not burning crop residue in the fields in the school curriculum. In such a situation, it is the moral responsibility of every farmer to not burn stubble himself and also inspire the farmers around him to do the same.