New Delhi: At a time when Delhi's air pollution levels have spiked due to stubble burning in neighbouring states, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday shared the story of a farmer from Haryana who is making money by selling stubble to an agro energy plant and a paper mill.
"Virendra Yadav ji used to live in Australia. Two years ago, he came to India and now lives in Haryana's Kaithal. Like others, farm stubble was a big problem for him also. Efforts are being made on a large scale to resolve the issue. To find a solution to stubble, Virendra ji bought a Straw Baler machine to make bundles of straw. For this, he also received financial assistance from the agricultural department," PM Modi said while addressing the nation in the 71st edition of his monthly radio programme 'Mann Ki Baat'.
"He then sold those bales to agro energy plant and paper mill. In two years, he has done a business of over Rs 1.5 crore and earned a profit of Rs 50 lakhs. We have heard about how to get the best out of waste. It is a unique example of disposing of stubble and earning from it," he added.
Pollution levels in Delhi reach hazardous levels in the winter season every year. The Delhi government's claims that stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan have significantly contributed to the hazardous levels of air pollution in the national capital.
Earlier, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai urged the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to make the bio-decomposer technology mandatory for all states, stating pollution levels in the national capital rise with an increase in stubble burning.
The Delhi government, along with PUSA, developed a bio-composer which Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had earlier claimed could decompose 70 to 95 per cent of crop residue.
During a COVID-19 review meeting held earlier this month, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention to get rid of pollution due to stubble burning, while citing pollution as an important factor behind the surge of coronavirus cases in Delhi.
On Saturday, Delhi reported 4,998 new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally in the national capital to 5,61,742. According to the Delhi Health Department, 89 people succumbed to COVID-19 in the last 24 hours taking the death toll to 8,998.
As many as 6,512 recoveries were reported in the last 24 hours, with which the total number of recovered patients reached 5,16,166.
ANI
Read: 'Demand for Pusa bio-decomposer picks up for stubble management'
