-The Indian Express Forcing machinery on farmers without giving a thought to the economics of their utilisation can prove counter-productive. There are three main impediments to farm mechanisation in India. The first is cost, which, for a standard 50-horsepower tractor, today averages around Rs 6.5-6.8 lakh. But a tractor is just a source of power and traction, and only as good as the farm implements it can pull. The most basic tractor-drawn tiller/cultivator...
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Punjab farmers want to stop burning stubble that causes Delhi pollution -- but they have few options -Banalata Sen
-Scroll.in Providing them machinery to remove loose straw and expanding the industries that use crop residue could help tackle the problem, says a new study. It is that time of the year. Delhi’s air is becoming poisonous and, once again, Punjab’s farmers burning paddy straw are being blamed for it. But few bother to ask why these farmers dispose of their crop residue in such a polluting way even though the risk...
More »Delhi's air quality on brink of turning 'severe' as ban on construction activities comes into force
-PTI NEW DELHI: A ban on construction activities came into force in the national capital on Thursday as Delhi's air quality was on the brink of turning "severe" due to stubble burning in the adjoining regions and unfavourable meteorological conditions, authorities said. The overall air quality index (AQI) of Delhi was recorded at 393, which falls in the "very poor" category and is just seven points from turning severe, according to data...
More »Centre to lodge criminal cases against polluters who fail to clean up their act -Vishwa Mohan
-The Times of India NEW DELHI: In a move to step up pressure on polluters as Delhi faces its annual winter bad air days, the Centre said on Saturday that criminal prosecution will be launched against violators failing to take action despite warnings and offenders will also be named and shamed on official websites. Noting poor compliance of its directives to check air pollution in Delhi-NCR, the Centre said the names of...
More »Punjab's burning problem -Jacob Koshy & Vikas Vasudeva
-The Hindu Farmers in Punjab continue to burn paddy stubble every winter despite a ban on the practice. Jacob Koshy and Vikas Vasudeva report on the compulsions that drive farmers to adopt this method of clearing their fields and the efforts by the State administration to wean them off it The highway to Bibipur, a hamlet about 50 km from Patiala town, cuts through acres of paddy. Some of the rice stalk...
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