AAP accuses BJP of defaming Punjab farmers over stubble burning
Aam Aadmi Party leaders claim stubble burning incidents in Punjab have seen a significant reduction this year.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has accused the BJP of targeting and defaming Punjab’s farmers to divert attention from administrative failures regarding Delhi’s pollution crisis, according to the Hindustan Times. AAP Punjab media in-charge Baltej Pannu alleged on Monday that BJP leaders have been making baseless allegations about Punjab despite the state achieving nearly 90 per cent control over stubble burning incidents this year.
AAP Punjab President and Cabinet Minister Aman Arora on Tuesday claimed that the state has recorded a nearly 95 per cent reduction in stubble-burning incidents this year compared to 2020. Citing data from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) CREAMS laboratory, Arora said incidents fell from 83,002 in 2020 to 4,657 so far this season.
Arora stated that stubble smoke contributed just 5 per cent to Delhi’s PM2.5 pollution on November 9, following a 7.8 per cent contribution on November 8. He said the average contribution over the season remained between 4 per cent and 5 per cent when two days were excluded, according to data from SAFAR and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM).
The minister credited the reduction to farmer cooperation and the Bhagwant Mann Government providing over 1.62 lakh crop residue management machines at subsidised rates since 2022. He demanded an unconditional apology from the BJP for maligning farmers and called for an immediate enhancement of the Centre-approved Cash Credit Limit (CCL) for paddy procurement.