Pollution: Why the farmers alone are being made scapegoats? Jag Mohan Thaken

 

Pollution: Why the farmers alone are being made scapegoats?

Jag Mohan Thaken

दस्तक टाइम्स -नवंबर 2024- क्या हरियाणा काँग्रेस विद्रोह के कगार पर खड़ी है ? ---जग मोहन ठाकन

 दस्तक टाइम्स -नवंबर 2024- क्या हरियाणा काँग्रेस विद्रोह के कगार पर खड़ी है ? ---जग मोहन ठाकन 

https://www.politicalobserver.in/opinion/the-pollution-blame-game-are-farmers-the-real-culprits/ -- JAG MOHAN THAKEN

 https://www.politicalobserver.in/opinion/the-pollution-blame-game-are-farmers-the-real-culprits/ 

JAG MOHAN THAKEN

https://www.politicalobserver.in/opinion/the-pollution-blame-game-are-farmers-the-real-culprits/  

FINANCIAL WORLD- 9-11-24- Haryana Congress: Will Rahul Dare to Kick Out the Black Sheep? Jag Mohan Thaken

 FINANCIAL WORLD- 9-11-24- Haryana Congress: Will Rahul Dare to Kick Out the Black Sheep? Jag Mohan Thaken 

Pollution: Why the farmers alone are being made scapegoats? Jag Mohan Thaken

 

Pollution: Why the farmers alone are being made scapegoats?

Jag Mohan Thaken 

Pollution: Why the farmers alone are being made scapegoats?

Jag Mohan Thaken

Stubble burning always puts a damper on celebrations of Diwali festival for the farmers, especially residing in Punjab and Haryana. It is the harvest season for paddy just before the sowing of the next crop. Farmers have to vacate the land for the wheat showing immediately and they don’t have much time to manage the straw of paddy just harvested. In order to quickly prepare their fields for the wheat crop, many farmers simply burn leftover plant debris after harvesting rice. The practice is known as paddy stubble burning.

Due to the short period for stubble management and lack of readily available alternative means within reach of the farmers and no proper proportionate monetary help by the governments, the farmers have to adopt the old method of stubble burning. The surprising thing is that the governments do not seem seriously ready to resolve their problem, rather enforcing the farmers by inflicting the fine, depriving the farmers of MSP for the next two crops and lodging FIR against them.

While stubble burning is a compulsive need for the farmers, but it has become a noose around the neck for the government also.

To control the menace of this practice by ‘Rule(stick) in the guise of Rule’, Haryana Agricultural department has issued a letter on October 17, 2024 for lodging an FIR and restricting the farmers, who burn stubble, from selling their crops in Mandis through the e-Kharid portal.

“Farmers who burn or have burnt stubble during the current season i.e from 15-09-2024, an FIR should be registered against them and a Red entry should be made in their MFMB records restricting them from selling their crops in Mandis through the e-Kharid portal during the next two seasons, says the Department of Agriculture, Haryana”.

To give another hammer blow to the farmers, recently the central Ministry of Environment has also issued a notification to double the penalty amount on stubble burning. Now, a fine of ₹5,000 will be imposed on landowners with less than two acres, ₹10,000 for two to five acres, and ₹30,000 for those with more than five acres, if they adopt the stubble burning. The governments of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Delhi will be required to implement these rules.

How Polluted Air affects health?

Around the Diwali festival season, every year, a thick smoke layer covers up the sky umbrella almost in all the areas of Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, especially the NCR region, making it very difficult even to breathe in due to the polluted air and atmosphere. Delhiites, being the most sufferers, create much hue and cry, and as the country governing authorities are sitting there, so the issue becomes more complicated and gets highlighted in all spheres. Dr Ashok Dhillon, Agricultural scientist, Ambala Agricultural Science Centre, says that due to burning of paddy residue, 70 percent carbon dioxide, 7 percent carbon monoxide along with gases like methane and nitrous oxide etc. get dissolved in the atmosphere which is very harmful for human health as well as animals.

World Health Organization (WHO), spreading awareness about the ‘CLEAN AIR FOR CHILDREN’S HEALTH’, highlights – A child, who is exposed to unsafe levels of pollution, can face a lifetime of health impacts. Exposure in the womb or in early childhood can lead to: Stunted lung growth, Reduced lung function, Increased risk of developing asthma, Acute lower respiratory infections, Impaired mental and motor development, Behavioural disorders, Low birth weight, Premature birth, Infant mortality, Childhood Cancers, Increased risk of heart disease, Diabetes and stroke in adulthood.

It adds that household and ambient air pollution cause more than 50% of acute lower respiratory infection in children under 5 years in lower and middle-income countries.

WHO further warns that in 2016, ambient and household air pollution caused 543,000 deaths in children under 5 years and 52,000 deaths in children aged 5-15 years. What a horrific crisis is hovering over the world, one can imagine easily!    

Is stubble burning the sole major factor of pollution?

Punjab farmers’ front ‘Bharatiya Kisan Union Ekta Dakounda’, through its statement November 12,2024, strongly condemning orders issued against the farmers, alleged that the authorities are ignoring the ground realities and ordering coercion on the farmers who produce only 4.4% of the pollution, while 95.6% are emitted by firecrackers, diesel generators, factories and transport. Instead of taking any action against the polluters, only reports are being sought about them. According to the instructions of the National Green Tribunal, it is the responsibility of the administration to arrange for the collection, transportation and consumption of straw. Neither the administration has fulfilled its responsibility nor the courts have taken any action against the administration. On the contrary, farmers are being made the scapegoat, which is a reprehensible act.

Terming the centre government’s allegations against the farmers as unscientific claims, All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) through its release to media on November 8, 2024, pleads that the claim that stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana is leading to air pollution in NCR is bogus, because air quality in these States, which should be more directly affected has been consistently lower than in the NCR. It is notable that vehicular pollution, pollution from factories and brick-kilns are going on unchecked and scientific studies point out that they are more responsible for the pollution in the NCR Region. AIKS adds that according to NASA’s Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) data there reportedly has been a 51 per cent drop in the total number of farm fires between 2018 and October, 2024. Data shared by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) indicate that between 12th October and 21st October this year, on average stubble burning accounted for only 0.92 per cent of the PM2.5 (Particulate Matter 2.5) levels in Delhi. Clearly, the dominant reasons for the pollution in NCR are vehicular emissions, emissions from factories, brick-kilns etc.

If we analyse the NASA’s data referred by AIKS, which show that there reportedly has been a 51 per cent drop in the total number of farm fires between 2018 and October, 2024, then why the AQI of Delhi and NCR has not lowered 51 %, if the stubble burning is the sole major factor for pollution?

 

Why the farmers alone are made scapegoats?

Punjab governor Gulab Chand Kataria, presiding over an international conference at Punjab Agricultural University on November 12,2024, said that it was wrong to blame only farmers for the air pollution. He underscored the need for ensuring crop residue management (CRM) machinery to farmers in sufficient numbers in order to curb stubble burning incidents. “The farmer won’t give up paddy unless he is given a crop that yields more profit (than paddy). They put in so much hard work; they need profit. Farmers have no choice. They have to sow wheat in time,” he said.

Kataria added that the state government and centre have tried to make residue management machines available but it is still far from the number of machines required to deal with the issue.

The All-India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) alleges that while the urban rich and capitalists are not being fined and little is being done to regulate the proliferation of vehicles, the poor farmers are being targeted for their role in the historic farmers’ struggle against the pro-corporate Farm Acts as well as the electoral set-back for BJP in the rural areas. In fact, the farmers through Agro-forestry and protection of green cover are doing an ecological service to the nation and the BJP led Union Government is punishing them.

Former Union Minister and the General Secretary of the All-India Congress Committee, Kumari Selja, also alleges that instead of working in the interest of the farmers, the BJP government is focused on oppressing and exploiting them.

Kumari Selja adds that following strict remarks from the Supreme Court on the issue of air pollution caused by stubble burning, the central government has now taken out its frustration on farmers by deciding to double the fine for stubble burning.

In a statement released to the media, she said that stubble burning is not a recent issue; it has been happening for years. There is no doubt that stubble burning increases air pollution. The government should create a system so that farmers do not have to burn stubble.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has also strongly criticised the Central Government's decision to double the fine for stubble burning. AAP senior leader and spokesperson Neel Garg said that the Punjab Government had sought Rs. 1200 crore from the Centre to tackle this issue and reduce incidents of stubble burning by providing financial incentives to farmers to discourage the practice. He questioned why the Centre had refused to provide this assistance if they were genuinely concerned about stubble burning?

If the Centre had provided the requested financial support, these incidents would have dropped even further. However, instead of offering help, the Centre has imposed a fine.

Haryana Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shyam Singh Rana has said that the State Government is promoting the use of straw as manure by encouraging farmers to incorporate it into their fields. He added that attributing the rising pollution in Delhi solely to stubble burning is misguided. He advised the Delhi government to implement concrete measures similar to those in Haryana.

Head of the department of climate change and agriculture meteorology of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Prabhjyot Kaur Sidhu, who had compiled a study on stubble burning effects in 2020, said, “Every paddy-growing state is suffering from factors adding to its air pollution. In simple terms, Punjab’s smoke is not travelling 300-400 km to choke the lungs of Delhi, rather Punjab farmers are harming their own children and brethren by setting the fields on fire.”

(https://www.hindustantimes.com/chandigarh/farm-fires-harming-punjab-more-than-delhi-pau-study/story-Vu9coUA0AvgIYuKKQp2LMN.html)

Will Delhi governments stop the blame game of alleging the farmers for each and every smoke particle hovering over Delhi and NCR in the name of Stubble Burning? GROUND POST 

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KALINGA CHRONICLE--7-11-24-- Haryana Congress: Will Rahul Dare to Kick Out the Black Sheep? Jag Mohan Thaken

 

Haryana Congress: Will Rahul Dare to Kick Out the Black Sheep?

Jag Mohan Thaken 

PUNJAB TIMES--6-11-2024-- Haryana Congress: Will Rahul Dare to Kick Out the Black Sheep? Jag Mohan Thaken

 

 Haryana Congress: Will Rahul Dare to Kick Out the Black Sheep?

Jag Mohan Thaken 

CAPITAL INFORMATION--6-11-24-- Haryana Congress: Will Rahul Dare to Kick Out the Black Sheep? Jag Mohan Thaken

 

 Haryana Congress: Will Rahul Dare to Kick Out the Black Sheep?

Jag Mohan Thaken 

INDIAN CHRONICLE--6-11-24--- Haryana Congress: Will Rahul Dare to Kick Out the Black Sheep? Jag Mohan Thaken

 

 Haryana Congress: Will Rahul Dare to Kick Out the Black Sheep?

Jag Mohan Thaken 

the hawk-6-11-2024-- Haryana Congress: Will Rahul Dare to Kick Out the Black Sheep? Jag Mohan Thaken

 

 Haryana Congress: Will Rahul Dare to Kick Out the Black Sheep?

Jag Mohan Thaken 

https://www.thehawk.in/news/editorial-and-analyses/feature-post/haryana-congress-will-rahul-dare-to-kick-out-the-black-sheep 

THE POLITICAL OBSERVER -- 4-11-2024---BY JAG MOHAN THAKEN-- Haryana Congress on the Brink of Rebellion?

 THE POLITICAL OBSERVER -- 4-11-2024---BY JAG MOHAN THAKEN-- Haryana Congress on the Brink of Rebellion?  

https://www.politicalobserver.in/opinion/haryana-congress-on-the-brink-of-rebellion/?amp=1 

https://www.politicalobserver.in/opinion/haryana-congress-on-the-brink-of-rebellion/?amp=1 

Is Haryana Congress on the verge of rebellion? By Jag Mohan Thaken

 

Is Haryana Congress on the verge of rebellion?

Jag MohanThaken  

The Haryana Congress party, which was flying high after winning half the seats in the Lok Sabha elections, is stunned by the results of the Assembly elections held just six months after that were highly contrary to its expectations. The Congress was not even dreaming of getting anything less than a two-thirds majority. The supporters of a Haryana leader had started sleeping with the Chief Minister's seat in their lap. 'That leader' himself had also started speaking every word of his address in the manner of a Chief Minister. But the tables turned and the statement given by the then and BJP’s declared future Chief Minister, Nayab Saini, -- ‘We have made all the arrangements for the victory', shown a thumb to all the hopes and imaginations of the Congress by securing an absolute majority. 

Now the situation is such that the Congress, which has been defeated by an unexpected seat margin, is not even able to decide the name of the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Assembly even after almost a month has passed. People have started jokingly saying that if God forbid it had got the majority, would they have decided the name of the Chief Minister? The problem is not that it does not have the desired number of MLAs, but the problem is that to take this decision has become a noose around the neck of the weak high command. The repeated wrong decisions of the high command have axed the feet of the high command itself, paralyzing its decision-making and control power and has left it as a puppet in the hands of only one person in the state.

Who is that person, in front of whose aura the light of the high command fades? What is the reason that the high command is not able to come out of the state of indecisiveness? Why has this person become so powerful?

To find the answer to all these questions, political analysts consider the initial step taken by the Congress high command, buoyed by the massive victory in the 2005 assembly elections, to hand over the Chief Minister's throne to Bhupinder Hooda, a Jat leader, by thrashing Bhajan Lal, the leader of non-Jats. In this election, which was fought under the leadership of former Chief Minister Chaudhary Bhajan Lal, the Congress had won 67 out of 90 seats. The high command, worried about the growing stature of Bhajan Lal, handed over the throne to a person, Bhupinder Hooda, who could be directed by the high command as per its desire, to cut Bhajan Lal’s wings. 

From the very beginning, the Congress had been getting support from all castes and classes. Although the Brahmin community remained dominant there, the Dalit and backward classes also considered the Congress as their well-wisher. The Jats had accepted the farmer leader, who emerged in the form of Chaudhary Devi Lal, as their umbrella leader, taking advantage of which Bhajan Lal expanded his sphere of influence by starting Jat-non-Jat politics. As, the Jats had started moving away from the Congress, so to reunite them and to narrow down the growing circle of Bhajan Lal, the congress high command used Hooda, an alternative Jat leader, as a weapon. The Congress high command did not realize at that time that the weapon they were sharpening to cut Bhajan Lal would one day weaken the high command itself and force it to bow down.

And the results of this move started coming in the very next assembly elections. Though Bhajan Lal was ignored by the Congress party and forced to leave the party, his supporters were infuriated by this decision of the high command and the 2009 elections, which were fought under the leadership of Hooda, gave a glimpse of the result of this move by squeezing Congress to only 40 seats out of 90. Although Bhajan Lal's own separate party, Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC), won 7 seats and kept Congress below the majority mark, but a few power-hungry MLAs, who are usually readily available all the time in Haryana, snubbed the Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) and supported Congress to facilitate Hooda back to power. The move of the Congress high command to reinstate Hooda further angered the non-Jat community and in the 2014 assembly elections, which were again fought under Hooda's leadership, the Congress was restricted to 15 seats. The high command began to realize its mistake and re-inducted Bhajan Lal's political heir Kuldeep Bishnoi in 2016 to bring the angry non-Jat community to its side. This also had an impact and in the 2019 assembly elections, the Congress's seats increased from 15 to a respectable 31, but the Congress's move to separate Dalit community leader Ashok Tanwar from the Congress under pressure from Hooda's strategy also alienated the Congress from a particular community. To attract this class again, Congress made Kumari Selja take charge of the state Congress, which Hooda did not like and he slowly started reducing Selja's stature too and finally, by preventing Selja from being sent to Rajya Sabha again, he got his own son Deepender Hooda nominated and by removing further Selja from the post of president, he got his own yes man Uday Bhan crowned and strengthened his hold on the state party. 

Hooda's next target was former Chief Minister late Chaudhary Bansi Lal's daughter-in-law Kiran Chaudhary, he not only deprived her of the post of Congress Legislature Party leader and got himself seated on this chair, but also forced her to leave the Congress. Before this, Bhajan Lal's son Kuldeep Bishnoi was also forced to leave the party again.

Now only Randeep Surjewala and Kumari Selja are left as the opposing voices of Hooda in the state party. To prevent Surjewala from being made a Rajya Sabha candidate from Haryana, Ajay Maken, who is close to the high command, was made the party's nominee, but the neglected Kuldeep Bishnoi and Kiran Chaudhary gave Hooda a hard blow and Hooda's candidate Maken had to face defeat despite having the sufficient number of MLAs. Later, the high command had to send Surjewala to Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan.

In the recently held assembly elections, Hooda alone grabbed 72 out of 90 tickets to keep Kumari Selja and Surjewala away from claiming the Chief Minister's chair in the state. Neglected in ticket distribution, Selja sat in ‘Kopbhavan’ (alienated from election scenario) for 10 days during the assembly election battle and showed her displeasure to the high command, but the high command did not pay any attention to Selja's indifference for 10 days. And this indifference of Selja showed the Congress its true colours. Either the high command was unaware of this matter or was pretending to be unaware and not giving any attention to Selja, but the question here is whether the high command was so confident that it could see a huge victory in Haryana even without Selja or was the high command under someone's pressure and was forced to overlook Selja's indifference? In both the cases, the high command's weakness and powerlessness in decision making is clearly indicated.

Why the name of the leader of the legislative party not being decided?

The Congress high command felt that the slogan of 'Kisan- Pehlwan- Agniveer' would give it a majority on the ground. Political thinkers believe that so much ruckus was created by the influential Jat community of Haryana that the high command felt that the Jat leader Hooda would conquer the stronghold. Hooda too, taking the sloganeering of the Jat voters as support for the Congress, was making arrangements to secure his seat as the Chief Minister and was engaged in a way to defeat his rival group instead of defeating BJP.  It was appearing throughout the election as if the Congress party had turned into Hooda Congress, this election was not being fought for the party but for the personal interests.

As the Jat community getting more preference repeatedly, the OBC and the Dalit community turned away from the Congress due to Selja's indifference. On the other hand, seeing the factionalism in Congress, the Jat community also put aside their animosity towards BJP and gave 30% votes to the BJP. As a result, Congress was left helpless and BJP got win.

Ground level political thinkers analyse that the Jats are always a divided house. While voting they never use their verdict unitedly in favour of a single candidate, rather they vote according to their village level politics, which never allows them to unite. BJP has understood this fact, whereas congress failed as its booth level roots have become defunct due to non- functioning of its organisational wings. The political analysts suggest that if the congress wants to regain its past glory in Haryana, it must have to woo its old-time core supporters such as OBC and SC categories voters by giving them a freehand representation as Leader of Opposition (LoP) and State Party President. Better they appoint a strong Ahirwal leader as state chief to get the strength in OBC, especially Yadav community and an SC leader as LoP.  

After the big blow in Haryana assembly elections, now the high command felt that the local leaders of the party have ruined the party. Rahul Gandhi himself had to say – In Haryana, the leaders ignored the party's interest and gave importance to their own interest.  But what’s the use crying over the spilled milk.

Now the high command is facing a situation of snake and shrew. They neither can shake Hooda off nor embrace him. On one hand, there is a fear of the spark of disintegration in the party and on the other hand, there is a fear of losing non-Jat votes. If Hooda is again made the leader of the legislative party, then there is a danger of the non-Jat community, especially the Dalit community, getting alienated and if Hooda or the person nominated by him is not made the leader of the legislative party , on the strength of the numbers of his supporting MLAs, Hooda  may divorce the Congress and become the leader of the legislative party himself and as a result of this development in Haryana, the Congress may lose access to power in Maharashtra also. In this state of confusion, the Congress is keeping the name of the leader of the legislative party hanging. This is a very difficult situation for the Congress and the gains and losses of this decision are now reflecting not only in the state but also in the politics of the country. Let us see which way the wind blows! --  GROUND POST   

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क्या हरियाणा काँग्रेस टूटन के कगार पर खड़ी है ? (लेखक – जग मोहन ठाकन/ईएमएस)

क्या हरियाणा काँग्रेस टूटन के कगार पर खड़ी है ? (लेखक – जग मोहन ठाकन/ईएमएस): लोक सभा में आधी सीटों पर विजयी होने के बाद हवा में उड़ रही काँग्रेस पार्टी को मात्र छह माह बाद हुए विधान सभा चुनाव में आशा के विपरीत परिणाम ने सुन्न करके रख दिया है। काँग्रेस दो तिहाई बहुमत से नीचे