Stubble burning: Centre should give financial assistance to farmers, says Amarinder

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday reiterated that the Centre should give financial assistance to farmers to wean them away from the practice of stubble burning.

He also lashed out at the Centre for its alleged apathetic attitude towards the problem of paddy residue burning.

"The ball is in the Centre's court and it should take concrete decisions to resolve the problem," Singh said when asked to comment on the issue of finding a lasting solution to paddy straw burning.

The chief minister underlined the need for financial assistance to farmers to gradually bring a halt to the practice of stubble burning, pointing out that 75 per cent of Punjab's farmers had land holdings of less than two acres and it was not viable for them to manage the paddy straw scientifically.

On Sunday, Singh had tweeted, "Compensation by Central Govt to the farmers for stubble management is the only solution in the circumstances. I had written to PM @NarendraModi ji on 25th Sep & had written to him yesterday as well. The central govt has to step in and find a consensus to resolve the crisis."