In a bid to create awareness about schemes and programmes of the Agriculture and Horticulture departments, Haryana Government has decided to organise gram sabha meetings in one village of all districts in the State on October 2, Gandhi Jayanti.

Principal Secretary, Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare Department Abhilaksh likhi on Friday said that senior officers of the departments have been directed to attend these meetings.

During gram sabha meetings, these officers  would also highlight the benefits of prevention of paddy straw or crop residue burning by farmers and the subsidy available for straw management machine, he said. Notably,  paddy stubble burning, which triggers episodes of smog across Delhi-NCR during winters every year, is slowly picking up across parts of Haryana and Punjab.

The Haryana Government has started satellite monitoring of the region on September 22. For the first time assistance of sarpanches of gram panchayats is also sought to make people aware about the disadvantages of burning crop stubble, and they would be made answerable. To keep a check on stubble burning, sub divisional officers (SDOs), patwaris and Gram Sachivs would be made answerable in their respective areas. And, strict action would be initiated against SDOs, Patwaris and Gram Sachivs who fail to report cases of burning crop stubble in their respective areas.

Recently, all the deputy commissioners were directed to pay special attention to those villages which had been reporting incidents of burning crop stubble for the last three years. The State Government has now appointed officers to preside over the gram sabha meetings across  the state and spread awareness among people about the disadvantages of burning crop stubble.

Varsha Khangwal, Secretary, Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board (HSAMB) will preside over meeting of Gram Sabha Jaspur, in Raipur Rani, Panchkula whereas Gauri Midha, Secretary, Haryana Agro  Industries Corporation would attend Gram Sabha meeting at village Chhanni in Saha, Ambala.