PM Modi to agri ministry: Prioritize giving machines to UP, Punjab, Haryana farmers to check stubble burning

NEW DELHI: On a day the Supreme Court lashed out at authorities for failing to curb air pollution in Delhi-NCR, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday directed the Union agriculture ministry to give priority to farmers of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana when distributing equipment to prevent stubble burning.
There are agro machines available in the market which remove stubble and governments of Haryana and Punjab are offering subsidy to farmers to buy the equipment.
The prime minister issued these directions at the meeting of Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation - Pragati, an ICT-based multimedia platform, a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office said.
On Tuesday, Modi was briefed about the pollution situation in the region. Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister P K Mishra and Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba have been reviewing the pollution situation on a regular basis.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it is a question of life and death of crores of people here but it is "very unfortunate" that the authorities are not bothered about poor people and letting them die.