Union Agri Minister Shivraj Chouhan holds high-level meeting on stubble burning

Speaking to ANI he said, "Today, an important meeting was held regarding the Delhi pollution issue and to find a solution for the same... From last year to this year, stubble burning has decreased by 35 per cent in Punjab and 21 per cent in Haryana... States have said that they are monitoring it continuously, and they have appointed nodal officers for the same... A widespread campaign for awareness is going on."

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said that a joint meeting was held with the ministers of the central government and the ministers of the state governments to reduce the pollution caused by stubble burning.

Rai said that the meeting was attended by Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav and the Agriculture Ministers of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

"I have put forward two to three important points before today's meeting. Firstly, the incidents of stubble burning need to be monitored in the coming days and the second is the firecrackers that are burnt on Diwali. To control the pollution caused by firecrackers, the Delhi government as well as all the governments of NCR should take concrete steps in this regard..." Rai said.

The air quality index in Delhi on Saturday was recorded at 237, according to System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR). A layer of smog engulfed certain parts of the national capital.

An AQI between 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 is satisfactory, 101-200 is moderate, 201-300 is poor, 301-400 is very poor, and 401-500 is severe.

As the national capital battles pollution, residents also complained of breathing issues.

Earlier on Friday, Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai had announced that the government will monitor hotspots across Delhi through drones, adding that his government is working day and night to control the pollution.

Notably, several incidents of stubble burning were also seen in some parts of Haryana and Punjab despite Supreme Court's criticism against the state government for their failure to take sufficient action against the issue.

Earlier today, Several incidents of stubble burning were seen in some parts of Haryana and Punjab despite the Supreme Court's criticism against both state governments for their failure to take sufficient action against the issue.

The Supreme Court on October 23 criticised the Haryana and Punjab governments for failure to take action against stubble burning in the states and said it is a fundamental right of all citizens to live in a clean and pollution-free environment. (ANI)