CHANDIGARH: “We are seriously considering a proposal to make farmers ineligible for contesting panchayat elections if found guilty of burning stubble,” said Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Rural Development and Panchayat Minister of Punjab on October 4.
The state government was not in favour to make strict laws or take strict actions but to save the future generations such hard decisions were the need of the hour. Bajwa added.
The practice of stubble burning is not only polluting the environment but also the soil which is losing its fertility gradually, he further said.
Punjab Govt. is planning a proposal to amend the Panchayati Raj Act. The new changes in the act may bar the farmers involved in stubble burning from contesting panchayat elections.
According to Bajwa, State Govt. is working on various campaigns to make farmers aware about the harmful effects of stubble burning. Govt. is providing subsidies on the agricultural implements used for mulching paddy straw into the soil. This has led to a 40 per cent decrease in stubble burning.