New Delhi: The air quality in the national capital continued to remain in the ‘severe’ category on Thursday morning, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) surpassing the 400 mark in several places, according to the Central Pollution Control Board at 8 am. After a few days of relief, Delhi has been witnessing a steep increase in AQI levels following a marginal improvement on Sunday. The visibility early in the morning also remained low in the city.
A closer look at the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) data reveals the severity of the situation at different locations. At Anand Vihar, the AQI reached 387 (very poor), while ITO in Delhi recorded 343 (very poor). Wazirpur, Delhi, experienced a concerning AQI of 422 (severe), and RK Puram was not far behind at 415 (severe). Okhla Phase-2, Delhi, faced an alarming AQI of 406 (severe) at 7:00 AM.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday (November 21) suggested excluding farmers burning their stubble from the purview of the minimum support price (MSP) infrastructure, as a part of a carrot-and-stick policy to disincentivize stubble burning in Punjab and other states adjacent to Delhi. It also recommended completely bailing machines for farmers and financing operating costs.
The MSP is a price set by the government to ensure that farmers get a fair price for their produce. The MSP infrastructure includes storage facilities, transportation, and marketing support. Excluding farmers who burn their stubble from this infrastructure would make it more difficult for them to sell their produce, which would discourage them from burning their stubble.
The Supreme Court also recommended that the government completely subsidize baling machines for poor farmers and finance their operating costs. This would make it easier for farmers to bale their stubble instead of burning it. The baled stubble can then be sold as a source of biomass energy.
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