New Delhi: 20 million tons of bio-pellets made from farm stubble will be obtained by the Union Power Ministry and NTPC, as per sources in the Union Environment Ministry. An extensive stakeholders’ consultation was conducted with the NTPC and other state and private power plant operators on the potential use of paddy stubble. The thermal units will use these pellets as fuel along with coal. The power ministry will soon make it compulsory for thermal power plants to use 10 per cent biomass in which 50 per cent will be stubble, added the sources.
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The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) constituted by the centre will also issue the same for thermal power plants in the National Capital Region (NCR). The commission is of the view that the Ex-situ utilization of paddy straw, especially in coal-based thermal power plants is an important strategy to solve the problem of stubble burning.
A review meeting was held on Thursday (September 23) by the Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on measures to control pollution in Delhi as well as the NCR. The environment ministers of all the concerned states such as Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi were asked to take all the steps in an effective manner. The discussion also involved both Ex-situ and In-situ management. In Punjab and Haryana, the United Phosphorus Limited is utilising this process in 5 lakh acres of land; in UP it is being utilised at 6 lakh acres of land and in Delhi, it is being utilized at 5,000 acres of land.
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Following In-Situ management, the machines that were given in the last few years will be utilised in a much better manner, says an official. The commission has directed the governments of Punjab, the NCR States and the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi for implementation of the action, based on the following components of the framework.
In In-situ Crop Residue Management- Supported by CRM Scheme of Ministry of Agriculture, 1,43,801 machines are already available. Another 56,513 are being procured in the current year to facilitate In-Situ Crop residue Management. Moreover, the air quality commission constituted by the centre directed 11 thermal power plants within a 300-km radius of Delhi to co-fire biomass pellets with coal without any delay. The First Action Report has been asked to be submitted to the Commission by September 25. In the meeting, stakeholders stressed on proper implementation at the ground level.
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(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, that is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
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