NSS volunteers roped in to raise awareness, check stubble-burning

Nitin Jain

With the problem of air pollution increasing due to burning crop residue, the Haryana Government has roped in 1.25 lakh NSS volunteers to raise awareness among farmers and check stubble burning in the state.

The initiative comes days after the National Green Tribunal directed the constitution of special cells in the office of Chief Secretary of Delhi, Haryana and Punjab this month to monitor the problem of air pollution by burning crop residue on a daily basis.

The Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare has launched a project to adopt a proactive approach and deal with stubble burning. It has engaged volunteers from the NSS to raise awareness about the cause through people-to-people intervention by dissuading farmers from burning crop residue and encouraging them to adopt sustainable and environment friendly alternatives to manage it.

Director General, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Ajit Balaji Joshi, said 1.25 lakh NSS volunteers would be a part of this project. “These volunteers will help the department in spreading awareness among farmers regarding smart ways to manage crop residue and utilise it in a better way,” he said.

The harmful effects of crop residue burning include deteriorating soil health and many respiratory diseases due to smoke caused by fires. The NSS volunteers will take an active part in spreading such information, communicating the needs and advantages of crop residue management through machines.

He said the project will be operational from October 10 to 29. The department has prepared a schedule for all volunteers, so that they can cover all houses in the affected districts and spread the message directly to farmers.

Crop burning shoots up carbon dioxide levels in the air by 70 per cent and the quality of air in Delhi, Haryana and Punjab deteriorates every year in October, as farmers set the leftover stubble and loose straw on fire after paddy is harvested.

‘Thank You Kisan’ campaign

Haryana has also launched a campaign ‘#Thankyou Kisan’ for felicitating those farmers who choose to act responsibly over convenience. 

“Burning stubble is a convenient alternative for crop residue management but is severely harmful for land as well as the environment. However, many farmers have already opted for wise alternatives that won’t affect the environment, simultaneously helping them in enhancing the soil quality of their fields and creating a gradual increase in their income,” Joshi said.

Under the campaign, the government will acknowledge the efforts and sacrifices of such farmers and encourage everyone to thank them for making wise decisions regarding better agricultural techniques.

“To represent their gratitude, the campaign suggests everyone to take a selfie with the responsible farmer and post it online with hash tag ‘#ThankYouKisan’. People can simply write a thank you note for them also in order to appreciate farmers’ initiative for a cleaner air and a better tomorrow,” said Joshi.

Report on App

In another initiative, a digital kisan mobile app was launched in February to revolutionise the extension infrastructure and give fillip to citizen-administration synergy by acting as a bridge between the two and report stubble burning incidents in the state. The standout feature of the app was its tracking technology. The Digital Kisan App will track down the exact location of the field, from the place of complaint. To ensure compliance and avoid frivolous complaints, it has been mandated that the complaint shall only be registered if a person registering such complaint was in the immediate proximity of active fire location that he was flagging. Ajit Balaji Joshi, Director General, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, said the tracking shall be one of the main features of the application, as it provides detailed data about offenders and helps in controlling the menace of crop residue burning through efficient monitoring, citizen participation, and prompt administrative action.