Gurugram, Mar 8 (IANS): Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Ashwini Kumar Choubey on Tuesday, while speaking on the issue of stubble burning, appealed to the farmers from Delhi-NCR to not go for any "short cuts".
"If we all move ahead together in making our environment clean, then it will serve as a great service to our mother nature. If we don't care for mother nature, then it will not care for us as well. It is every citizen's responsibility to work for the betterment of air surrounding them," he said as he discussed steps all citizens should take to ensure a clean and pollution-free environment.
Choubey was speaking on the second day of 'Dialogue towards Clean Air' organised by the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR & Adjoining Areas (CAQM) in association with the Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Ministry.
The second day proceedings involved presentations along with valuable inputs and ideas towards an effective framework of policies and field level actions for a long lasting solution for the air pollution issue in the Delhi-NCR, a Ministry release said.
The two-day interactive session involved stakeholders from Central and state governments, pollution control boards, municipal bodies, NGOs, private sector, academia and industry associations wherein constructive discussions involving stakeholders from different fields were held.
Discussions revolved around shift to cleaner fuels such as PNG in the industries and transport sector, the road map for PNG network, infrastructure and supply in the entire NCR, E-mobility as a potential solution for addressing vehicular pollution, ways to reduce emissions from the vehicles in the transport sector, and regulation of emission from large scale use of diesel generator sets.
The second session centred around sustainable agricultural stubble management, prevention and control of crop residue burning along with strategies, methodologies and schemes for both in-situ and ex-situ management of crop. The discussions also included topics such as greening and plantation measures for abatement of air pollution, including the urban forestry initiatives by the Ministry such as the Nagar Van Scheme, etc., the release added.
The Commission has so far issued 61 directions and seven advisories, besides executive orders to various agencies concerned in the NCR including state governments, GNCTD, and various bodies of the Central and state governments in the region, laying down responsibilities and concrete steps to abate pollution and ameliorate air quality in the region, the release added.