Punjab expected to procure 132 lakh metric tons wheat: Chief Secretary
Punjab is expected to procure 132 lakh metric tons wheat, out of which 17.14 lakh metric tons have already been acquired, Chief Secretary Anurag Verma said on Sunday.
According to the Union environment ministry, the incidence of stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana has notably decreased over the past few years. In a recent report, it was revealed that there has been a substantial decline in the number of farm fires compared to previous years.
In Punjab, the statistics are strikingly positive. The count of fires decreased from 83,002 in 2020 to 71,304 in 2021, further dropping to 49,922 in 2022, and significantly declining to 36,663 in 2023. This indicates a 27% reduction in farm fires in 2023 as compared to the previous year. The reduction becomes even more pronounced when compared to 2021 and 2020, with a staggering 49% and 56% decline, respectively.
Similarly, in Haryana, there has been a commendable decrease in stubble burning incidents. The farm fire count in Haryana stood at 4,202 in 2020, rose to 6,987 in 2021, then decreased to 3,661 in 2022, and further plummeted to 2,303 in 2023. This marks a remarkable 37% reduction in 2023 compared to 2022, with even more substantial reductions of 67% compared to 2021 and 45% compared to 2020.
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The ministry highlighted specific districts that displayed significant improvements. In Punjab, four districts experienced over 50% fewer fires in 2023 compared to 2022, while five districts showed improvements ranging from 27% to 50%. In Haryana, three districts recorded more than 50% fewer fires in 2023 than in 2022. However, five districts witnessed improvements of up to 37%, while fire counts increased in five other districts in 2023.
Moreover, the data revealed a noticeable reduction in the number of days with high fire counts. Punjab experienced only four days in 2023 where fires exceeded 2,000 counts, a considerable decline from 16 in 2020, 14 in 2021, and 10 in 2022. Similarly, Haryana witnessed only three days in 2023 where farm fires exceeded 100 counts, significantly down from 16 in 2020, 32 in 2021, and 15 in 2022.
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