Religious Saints Lead Campaign against Stubble Burning
4th- 18th October 2018
The KVKs of Punjab, Haryana and UP are organizing special Farmers’ Fairs to exhibit the technologies for residue management besides selling the latest seeds of Rabi crops. During these Melas, special efforts are made to involve various stakeholders for environmental building against residue burning. Efforts are being made to involve noted personalities in the campaign. Religious saints, gurus and noted environmentalists participated in these programmes and urged farming community to shun stubble burning.
Noted environmentalist and Padam Shri Recipient Baba Sewa Singh of Dera Kar Sewa, Khadoor Saheb was the Chief Guest of Kisan Mela organised by KVK, Kapurthala held on 18th October, 2018. In his inaugural address, the saint exhorted the farmers to shun the practice of burning of paddy residue and follow the teaching of Guru Nanak. Reciting the famous couplet – Pawan Guru, Pani Pita, Mata Dharat Mahat and urged farmers to adopt the methods suggested by scientists in managing paddy residue and make mother earth a better place for all living beings.
Saint Gurmeet Singh, Khosa Kotla Wale of district Moga is renowned social worker and environmentalist was the Chief Guest during the Kisan Mela organized by KVK, Moga held on 5th October, 2018. During his address he emphasized that collective efforts are needed to provide pollution free air, water and soil for the coming generations. He shared his experience in making his own village burning free and appreciated the role of KVK, Moga in achieving this mile stone. He urged the rural youth to start custom hiring centres of machinery for which Government is giving full support. He also cited the example of rural youth of his village who developed a custom hiring centre “Udami Kisan Self-help Group” and are determined to make cluster of villages “residue burning free”. He urged the farmers and farm women present during the Kisan Mela to make constant contract with the KVK scientists and adopt recommended technologies for the management of paddy residues and say no to burning.
Padama Shree Saint Balbir Singh Seechwal, a noted environmentalist, ‘Time’ magazine’s ‘Environmental Hero’ was the Chief Guest of Kisan Mela organised by KVK, Nurmahal, Jallandhar held on 4th October, 2018. While addressing the farmers, Saint Seechwal expressed his pleasure to meet various stakeholders and interacted with them. He appreciated the role of KVK in making a movement against residue burning. Saint urged all the stakeholders to come on single platform and work together in convergence mode to fight this social problem. He said with the use of machines, the problem of residue can be sorted out but we have to educate the farmers. He urged that missionary approach will motivate farmers to adopt latest technological interventions in managing residue particularly paddy straw.
Thousands of farmers, farm women and youth thronged these melas in which live demonstrations of machines were arranged for the benefits of farmers.
(Source: Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute, Ludhiana, Punjab)
