Farmers Movement Archive

Punjab farmers demand cash, EPCA terms it perverse incentive

BATHINDA: Punjab farmers want that all the machinery, including tractors, be provided free of cost or cash incentive be given to them to manage the paddy straw. On the other hand, the Environment Pollution (Prevention & Control) Authority (EPCA) has stressed the need to discourage the idea, calling it a perverse practice. EPCA — a central government constituted committee for the National Capital Region in compliance with the Supreme Court order — has told the the Punjab government that it can give cash incentive to farmers from its coffers if it wants. At its end, Punjab has made no provision for cash incentive but claims to have provided 62,000 machines to custom hiring centres and individual farmers to deal with crop residue. Yet, the state countryside is engulfed in flames and fumes. “We have no other option than burning stubble if the authorities do not provide us machines for management as well as transport to take the bales out of our fields at its own cost. Or they can give us cash for it. Stubble burning will continue. We are not afraid of any penal action,” said farmer Gobind Singh from Ferozepur, asking not to mention his village’s name. Ferozepur district has so far witnessed maximum straw burning cases after Tarn Taran and Amritsar. Farmer Gurmukh Singh from a Moga village said, “We do not want any confrontation but the government is forcing us. If we are unable to manage paddy straw, why doesn’t government or its agencies do it at their own cost if they are really worried about the environment.” Moga district administration had claimed that 73% of its panchayats have passed resolutions against stubble burning. The head of a panchayat in Mansa said they had asked farmers not to burn stubble. “We even made announcement from speaker system but some farmers have still burned it. We only can try to convince them and cannot use force against those who go against the panchayat’s directive.” Farm organisation BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokri said, “Either the government should make arrangement for managing the paddy stubble on its own or it should provide farmers Rs 200 per quintal bonus or Rs 5,000 per acre.” On September 30, EPCA, stated while there was a demand for additional funds to be paid to farmers for stubble management, it could be a perverse incentive and it may not be advisable. “After deliberations it was found that inclusion of cost of stubble removal in MSP may not be a viable option. It has been agreed that any such incentive, if at all necessary, should be provided by the state government from their own budget.”

The Times of India

2020-10-26

Amritsar