Deputy Commissioner Shaukat Ahmed Parray flagged off the vans prepared by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Punjab, to sensitize farmers about the damage caused by burning paddy straw and other crop residues in the district. These vans will visit 934 villages in the district over the next 40 days to raise awareness among farmers and the general public.
Shaukat Ahmed Parray stated that as the paddy season is about to start, under the special guidelines of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, awareness campaigns are being organized in every village. In addition to these camps, awareness vans are being deployed to reach farmers directly.
The Deputy Commissioner appealed to the farmers, explaining that burning paddy straw and crop residue not only poses severe health risks, including respiratory diseases, but also harms beneficial insects in the soil, while other animals and birds are severely affected and are on the verge of extinction due to such practices.
Chief Agriculture Officer Jaswinder Singh said that three vans have been dispatched for awareness purposes in Patiala district. These vans will carry out a 40-day awareness campaign on stubble management across all blocks, including Rajpura, Patiala, Ghanur, Nabha, Bhunarheri, Sanour, Samana, and Patran. An expert from the agriculture department, along with promotional material, will accompany each van to educate farmers.
On this occasion, PDA Chief Administrator Manisha Rana, Additional Deputy Commissioner (G) Kanchan, DDF Nidhi Malhotra, Agriculture Officer Japinder Singh Gill, Agriculture Development Officer Gurmel Singh, Aman Sandhu, Shikander Singh, Prabhadeep Singh, and Ravinderpal Singh Chatha were also present.