TO COMBAT & CREATE AWARENESS ON STUBBLE BURNING, PUNJAB GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES 3 MOBILE APPS: DEPUTY COMMISSIONER

URGES FARMERS TO TAKE FULL USE OF THESE MOBILE APPS Ludhiana, October 29, 2018: Deputy Commissioner Ludhiana Mr Pardeep Kumar Agrawal today said that intensifying the Punjab government’s efforts to combat stubble burning, the state government has launched three mobile applications aimed at checking crop residue burning and creating awareness about its ill-effects. He informed that the three android mobile applications launched by Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh recently have been developed by Punjab Remote Sensing Centre (PRSC). They are “i-Khet Machine” for facilitating farmers to have access to the agriculture machinery/equipment for in-situ management of crop residue, “e-PEHaL” for monitoring tree plantation, and “e-Prevent” to have prompt and accurate information regarding incidents of crop residue burning. These applications would provide relevant information at district, block and village levels, in English and Punjabi. Noting that such burning causes irreversible damage to the texture of soil, natural environment and human health, the Deputy Commissioner asked all the concerned departments to intensify the campaign to educate farmers about the menace. The Deputy Commissioner also emphasised the need to motivate the farmers to make optimum use of subsidised agriculture equipment and machinery being provided to the cooperative societies and custom hiring centres for in-situ paddy residue management, which was the only scientific solution to dispose of the crop residue. The Deputy Commissioner informed that nodal officers have been appointed at village level in Ludhiana district, as well as special campaign has also been launched on social media. These initiatives, he said, would go a long way to persuade the farmers to shun the practice of stubble burning.