New Delhi, February 13 Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Friday, citing remarks made by Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan that studies have established that stubble burning contributes no more than 5 per cent to pollution in the Delhi-NCR region, criticized the environment ministry and asserted that the "vilification of farmers" must stop.
Responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Chouhan said that stubble burning is not the only cause of pollution, as scientific studies have established that it contributes no more than 5 per cent to pollution in the Delhi-NCR region, even during winter.
Ramesh said that in recent years, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has often blamed farmers in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh for burning paddy stubble, which is responsible for the winter pollution crisis in Delhi and other parts of north India.
"Today, in the Rajya Sabha, the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare stated categorically that paddy stubble burning is responsible for just around 5 per cent of the pollution load. The vilification of farmers for causing pollution must stop," the former environment minister said in a post on X.
