-Orissapost.com Cuttack: In a bid to ensure transparency in paddy procurement, the state government is mulling introduction of iris recognition for farmers while selling the harvest at paddy procurement centres. According to sources, all paddy procurement centres (mandis) will be provided with iris scanners by the beginning of this kharif procurement season. “Farmers will be enrolled for the iris-scanning wherein the central server will store pictures of their unique iris. A farmer visiting...

-The Indian Express He will sooner or later adopt stubble burning-free technology. Imposing fines or filing FIRs is counterproductive. Jalandhar: Urban residents and the courts may fulminate, but farmers in Punjab and Haryana aren’t anytime soon going to stop burning crop residue from the harvesting and threshing of paddy using combines. They may well choose to harvest paddy with combines that have Super Straw Management System (SSMS) attachments and sow the succeeding...

-India Today Air pollution and smog continue to cover the Delhi skies for several days now. Crop burning in Punjab and Haryana continues unabated and it is likely to be so till November 15. Even as Delhi continues to battle a thick smog and hazardous pollution for days, stubble burning continues unabated in the neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana. paddy harvesting season is at its peak in the two states and...

-Livemint.com Since state administrations failed to contain the noxious smoke of farmland stubble fires in north India, the Supreme Court has had to order a crackdown. Here’s what else we could do There was hope for the residents of a broad expanse of north India, who faced a public health emergency due to air pollution, a significant part of which was caused by smoke arising from the burning of crop stubble—stalks of...

-The Indian Express Farmers in Punjab and Haryana have been setting fire to their fields after harvesting of paddy since the 1980s. That was since the time combine machines, instead of manual labourers, started being used for harvesting and threshing their grain. Jalandhar, Pune: The problem of air pollution from paddy stubble burning is ultimately about a simple trade-off: between more smoke and less water. Farmers in Punjab and Haryana have been...