Expressing serious concern over Delhi’s air quality remaining in the ‘severe’ category for the fifth day in a row, forcing closure of primary schools, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences, Dr Jitendra Singh cautioned that air pollution related stubble burning cases have risen by 160% in Rajasthan and 20% in Punjab.
This, he said, implies that the governments in the two States are not doing enough to check stubble burning and are, on the contrary, increasingly contributing to the deteriorating air quality in Delhi NCR.
The Minister, who is also Incharge of India Meteorological Department (IMD), Ministry of Earth Sciences, said that on the other hand, States like Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have recorded progressive decline in the incidents of stubble fire burning.
He said, such inferences indicate that either the governments in Rajasthan and Punjab are not serious about air quality or they have not properly utilized the funds which were provided by the Narendra Modi government to purchase machines for stubble management.
