Rani Jhansi groups to curb farm fires

Nitin Jain

TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

AMBALA, OCTOBER 28

As layer of haze enveloped the state and national capital a day after Diwali with the air quality on Monday plummeting to the “severe” category for the first time this season, the Haryana government has formed Rani Jhansi brigade to check stubble burning in the fields which a large number of farmers continue brazenly flouting the ban order.

Ambala, Hisar and Kurulshetra recorded their AQI at 370, 380, and 377, respectively.

The Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare has roped in women vigilantes in villages for crop residue management and offered them cash incentives.

“We have engaged women from self-help groups under the National Rural Livelihood Mission all over the state. Two or four women were selected by officials to carry out a set of activities provided by the department. These women shall be trained for two days and assigned activities to work as a part of the crop residue management and spread information regarding the process of mechanised management of crop residue,” department Director Ajit Balaji Joshi said.

The groups, named as “Jhansi ki Rani brigade”, will act as surveillance sources, reporting any active fire location or incident to the assistant agriculture engineer concerned or other appropriate authority. They will be the most important connection between the department and ground-level vigilantes. 

He said the objective of “zero” crop residue burning would be carried out by the women’s groups as they would engage with farmers through prabhat pheris (morning processions) and farmers’ field meetings every week and after every 15 days, respectively.

The custom-hiring centres will form an important linkage in educating farmers about crop residue management.  “Each woman will get Rs 25 for every acre that they help in managing through machinery (machines used from custom-hiring centres). They will be given a tentative target of 100 acres initially,” Joshi said.

The disbursement of information under this project will be operated in the form of income to the women of self-help groups in 1,500 villages.