New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi directed Wednesday the Union Agriculture Ministry to give priority to farmers of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana in distributing equipment to prevent stubble burning.
This came on a day the Supreme Court lashed out at authorities for failing to curb severe air pollution in the Delhi-NCR region.
There are agro machines available in the market that remove stubble and governments of Haryana and Punjab are offering subsidy to farmers to buy the equipment.
The prime minister issued these directions at the meeting of Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation – PRAGATI, an ICT-based multimedia platform, a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.
Narendra Modi was briefed Tuesday about the pollution situation in the region. Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister PK Mishra and Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba have been reviewing the pollution situation on a regular basis, the PMO stated.
“On the issue of stubble burning, the Prime Minister directed Agriculture Ministry to give priority to the farmers of the states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana in distribution of equipment to prevent such occurrences,” it stated.
The Supreme Court said Wednesday it is a question of life and death of millions of people here but it is ‘very unfortunate’ that the authorities are not bothered about poor people and letting them die.
The PRAGATI meeting reviewed nine projects worth over Rs 61,000 crore related to 16 states and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
PTI
