A committee constituted by the Punjab government to find a solution to paddy stubble burning met representatives of farmer unions on Tuesday. Led by (retd) Justice Mehtab Singh Gill, the committee decided to seek proposals from the unions to end the menace of residue burning and manage paddy straw in an eco-friendly manner. After listening to the issues raised by the unions, the committee decided to involve them in efforts to resolve the issue, a government statement said. Agriculture Secretary K S Pannu said at the meeting that the government had provided more than 51,000 agro-machines to the state’s farmers with a subsidy of Rs 489 crore during the last two paddy seasons. Political Secretary to the Punjab chief minister, Captain Sandeep Sandhu, and representatives of Punjab DGP, PPCB, Patiala and PAU, Ludhiana, also attended the meeting. Stubble burning had been a major issue last year, as air quality levels plummeted severely in Punjab and neighbouring states.
