Mulling use of farm residue for biofuel: Centre in Lok Sabha

New Delhi, December 10

The government is working on using stubble in biofuel and manure to reduce incidents of its burning, Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said while intervening during a discussion on climate change in the Lok Sabha after Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal alleged Punjab farmers were being “defamed” for stubble burning and demanded a white paper on the issue.

Asking the Centre to provide farmers with resources, she cited reports, including a submission by the central government, to claim that stubble burning played a minimal role in air pollution.

Replying to her observations, Yadav said the NTPC recently procured 3,000 tonne of stubble and the government would review the result to see how it could be used for biofuel.

Pointing towards central allocations for machinery and measures to use it for different purposes so that farmers did not burn them, Yadav said stubble burning had now been decriminalised.

Cases have been lodged against farmers and fines imposed on them for burning stubble, the Bathinda MP said. — TNS