To control the massive problem of crop residue burning, the Punjab Government has organized a ‘Price Negotiation Meeting’ with the manufacturers of residue management machinery of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and other states.
The meeting, held under the chairmanship of Centre’s Mechanical and Technology joint secretary Ashwani Kumar, was attended by around 165 manufacturers from Punjab and 100 from other states.
Kumar has asked all the manufacturers to ensure quality of their equipments as per specifications under the scheme. He also directed them to conduct training-cum-hands on experience for the farmers so that they may utilize the equipments to its full capacity.
Sharing this, Additional Chief Secretary (Development) Viswajeet Khanna said that the state government has received a large number of applications in the first phase for equipments like happy seeders, paddy straw choppers or mulchers.
As many as 7,436 applications had been received for happy seeders, 5,490 for paddy straw choppers or mulchers and more than 19,000 for rotavators in the Agriculture and Cooperation Departments.
Khanna said that more number of applications is expected in the second phase that will be initiated in next few days.
“The Department has got a centrally sponsored scheme for Promotion of Agricultural Mechanization for In situ Management of Crop Residue, on 100 percent Central Grant-in-Aid basis. Funds to the tune of Rs 665 crores will be allocated to the State Department, for two years, that is for 2017-18 and 2018-19,” said Khanna.
He said that already, Rs 269.38 crores has been received as first installment for 2017-18, out of which Rs 16.80 crores for IEC activities and rest is for procurement of equipment on subsidy basis at the rate of 50 percent for individual buyers (farmers) and 80 percent for farmer groups or Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS).
As far as the implementation of the scheme is concerned, the state Agriculture secretary Kahan Singh Pannu has been monitoring the entire process under this scheme, said Khanna.
He added that the timeline has already been set up for approval of applications of farmers or farmers groups for purchase of equipments on ‘first come, first serve basis’.
“The directions have been issued to all the Deputy Commissioners to place order with the manufacturers and dealers to regulate manufacturing and supply of equipments well before the paddy harvesting season,” he said.
The state Agriculture director Dr JS Bains informed that with the equipment being provided under the in-situ scheme, an area of 7.83 lakh hectares is expected to be covered and 5.28 million tons of paddy straw is expected to be covered, taking 70 percent of the capacity per season, as usage of these new equipments.