{"id":6564,"date":"2023-10-31T04:48:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-31T04:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/creams.iari.res.in\/creams\/?p=6564"},"modified":"2024-03-18T05:53:01","modified_gmt":"2024-03-18T05:53:01","slug":"news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/creams.iari.res.in\/?p=6564","title":{"rendered":"6 Districts Miss Zero Farm Fire Target, Rest of Punjab On Track for 50% Reduction"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"6564\" class=\"elementor elementor-6564\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-297f472 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"297f472\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-571b124\" data-id=\"571b124\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-b4d7501 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"b4d7501\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-d5eed10\" data-id=\"d5eed10\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-32a0f7e elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"32a0f7e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.8.0 - 30-10-2022 *\/\n.elementor-column .elementor-spacer-inner{height:var(--spacer-size)}.e-con{--container-widget-width:100%}.e-con-inner>.elementor-widget-spacer,.e-con>.elementor-widget-spacer{width:var(--container-widget-width,var(--spacer-size));-ms-flex-item-align:stretch;align-self:stretch;-ms-flex-negative:0;flex-shrink:0}.e-con-inner>.elementor-widget-spacer>.elementor-widget-container,.e-con-inner>.elementor-widget-spacer>.elementor-widget-container>.elementor-spacer,.e-con>.elementor-widget-spacer>.elementor-widget-container,.e-con>.elementor-widget-spacer>.elementor-widget-container>.elementor-spacer{height:100%}.e-con-inner>.elementor-widget-spacer>.elementor-widget-container>.elementor-spacer>.elementor-spacer-inner,.e-con>.elementor-widget-spacer>.elementor-widget-container>.elementor-spacer>.elementor-spacer-inner{height:var(--container-widget-height,var(--spacer-size))}<\/style>\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-406f2d9 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"406f2d9\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-background-overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-66b3a7d\" data-id=\"66b3a7d\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;gradient&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-background-overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1d3193b elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1d3193b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.8.0 - 30-10-2022 *\/\n.elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title[class*=elementor-size-]>a{color:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-small{font-size:15px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-medium{font-size:19px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-large{font-size:29px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xl{font-size:39px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xxl{font-size:59px}<\/style><h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">6 Districts Miss Zero Farm Fire Target, Rest of Punjab On Track for 50% Reduction<\/h1>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1ba2514 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1ba2514\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.8.0 - 30-10-2022 *\/\n.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#818a91;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#818a91;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t<p><span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Before the paddy harvest season began, the Punjab government led by the Aam Aadmi Party had set <ins><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hindustantimes.com\/cities\/chandigarh-news\/punjab-plans-to-make-6-districts-free-of-farm-fires-this-year-101695756673981.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a few targets<\/a><\/ins>. One of them was to keep the fire count to zero in six of the state\u2019s 23 districts. But despite improvements, that goal remains elusive.<\/span><\/p><p><span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 What Punjab does to reduce its farm fires also improves air quality in AAP-governed Delhi to some extent \u2013 the contribution of farm fires to the city\u2019s air quality ranged from 0 to 38 percent on different days last year in October and November. Though the extent to which farm fires have contributed to PM 2.5, the most harmful air pollutant, this time in Delhi is not clear, the national capital\u2019s air quality has already plunged into the \u2018very poor\u2019 zone with local emissions among other reasons.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Meanwhile, the six districts part of the Punjab government\u2019s plan \u2013 which was earlier submitted to the Commission for Air Quality Management \u2013 included Hoshiarpur, Malerkotla, Pathankot, Rupnagar, SAS Nagar and SBS Nagar. These districts were chosen as they reported the lowest number of farm fires; the highest are usually recorded in Patiala, Sangrur and Amritsar.<\/span><\/p><p><span>Instances of setting paddy residue afire by farmers intensify in late October and early November as the harvest season nears its end.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span><strong>\u00a0The progress<\/strong><\/span><\/p><p><span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In the 2022 harvest season, counted from September 15 to November 30, the fire count in five of these districts, excluding Malerkotla, was 879 or 1.76 percent of the total 49,922 across Punjab. Each of the five registered fewer than 300 fire counts: 270 in SBS Nagar, 259 in Hoshiarpur, 246 in Rupnagar, 103 in SAS Nagar and one in Pathankot.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The daily bulletin of fire counts, issued by the Indian Agriculture Research Institute, does not maintain a separate record for Malerkotla, the state\u2019s newest district carved out of Sangrur. It is instead merged with Sangrur district, which is a fire hotspot and reported 5,916 fire incidents this period from September 15 to November 30.<\/span><\/p><p><span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 However, a year-on-year comparison from September 15 to October 29 shows that the five districts have reported 126 fire counts against 373 last year \u2013 a drop of 66 percent. But this is still behind target.<\/span><\/p><p><span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Two districts haven\u2019t made any progress at all, including SAS Nagar, which reported four more fire counts than the 78 during the same period last year, and Pathankot which saw one fire as compared to the zero last year. Hoshiarpur was the best performer, bringing down the tally to just 10 from 142. It was followed by Rupnagar\u2019s 13 against 117 and SBS Nagar\u2019s 25 against 40 that were recorded during the same period last year.<\/span><\/p><p><span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 As part of its plan to support farmers to tackle the issue of farm residue, the state government, over the past few years, has been procuring more machinery for farmers and agricultural outfits, and offering them with a subsidy of anywhere between 50 and 80 percent. Industries, meanwhile, have been directed to use paddy straw as fuel.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The state government has taken these steps as part of the centrally-sponsored crop residue management scheme, which is implemented by the Punjab government with 60 percent of the total funds shared by the Centre. The Centre, in this financial year, has allocated Rs 240 crore while the state&#8217;s share is Rs 140 crore.<\/span><\/p><p><span><strong>\u00a0The drop in hotspots<\/strong><\/span><\/p><p><span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Another target that Punjab wants to achieve is a 50 percent reduction in the rest of the districts. So far, the state seems to be on the way to overshoot its goal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The satellite data maintained by the IARI CREAMS laboratory shows that the state has this year, from September 15 to October 29, registered 5,254 fire counts against 12,112 in the <span style=\"color: #000000;\">same<\/span> period last year \u2013 a drop of 56 percent. Hotspot districts such as Tarn Taran, Sangrur and Patiala have brought down the fire count to a considerable level.<\/span><\/p><p>Source- News Laundry<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>6 Districts Miss Zero Farm Fire Target, Rest of Punjab On Track for 50% Reduction \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Before the paddy harvest season began, the Punjab government led by the Aam Aadmi Party had set a few targets. One of them was to keep the fire count to zero in six of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_header_footer","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/creams.iari.res.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6564"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/creams.iari.res.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/creams.iari.res.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/creams.iari.res.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/creams.iari.res.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6564"}],"version-history":[{"count":68,"href":"https:\/\/creams.iari.res.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6564\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6641,"href":"https:\/\/creams.iari.res.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6564\/revisions\/6641"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/creams.iari.res.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6564"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/creams.iari.res.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6564"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/creams.iari.res.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6564"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}