"Give Rs 2500 per acre to every farmer to stop stubble burning": AAP MP Raghav Chadha

New Delhi [India], December 3 (ANI): Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Raghav Chadha has suggested that every farmer be given Rs 2500 per acre to help prevent stop stubble burning, a major contributor to air pollution in North India.
Chadha proposed that the Central government share will be Rs 2000 and the remaining Rs 500 will be shared by the Punjab state government.
The AAP MP emphasised that air pollution is not a problem limited to Delhi but is a regional issue affecting North India.
"I tried to say in Parliament that air pollution is not a Delhi issue, it is a North India issue and it has to be resolved at the North India level... First of all, stubble burning can be one reason. This is not the only reason for air pollution. But still, if there is so much focus, then I would like to tell you that a farmer burns stubble out of compulsion because today after the paddy crop, he gets only 10 days to clear that stubble before sowing the next crop...," the AAP MP told ANI.
"I have suggested a solution that the government should give Rs 2500 per acre to every farmer. In which Rs 2000 will be given by the central government, Rs 500 will be given by our Punjab state government and stubble burning will stop completely," he added.
He proposed this short-term solution, urging the government to implement the Rs 2500 per acre to every farmer for the next 3 to 4 years. He said, "This is also a short-term solution. Let us try it for 3-4 years. Ultimately, we should move towards crop diversification..."
Meanwhile, a thin layer of smog engulfed several parts of the National Capital on Tuesday as the air quality in the city remained in the 'poor category'.
As per the data of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi measured 274, as of 8 am.
According to the data of CPCB, as of 8 am, the AQI at Anand Vihar stands at 294, 235 at ITO, 256 at IGI Airport (T3), 250 at Chandani Chowk and Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, 277 at Okhla Phase-2, 298 at Punjabi Bagh and Wazirpur, categorised as 'poor'.
An AQI between 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 is satisfactory, 101-200 is moderate, 201-300 is poor, 301-400 is very poor and 401-500 is severe. (ANI)