(MENAFN- IANS) Chandigarh, Sep 28 (IANS) In a decisive move towards addressing the concern of stubble burning and fostering sustainable agriculture practices, the Punjab government has unveiled an ambitious Information, Education and Communication (IEC) plan for Crop Residue Management (CRM), state Minister for Agriculture Gurmeet Singh Khudian said on Sunday.

He said the campaign aims to directly engage communities, students and farmers to drive a behavioural shift towards eco-friendly practices, thus promoting sustainable agriculture.

The minister said that to disseminate information, the department will deploy 50 publicity vans to broadcast informative messages in rural areas.

Additionally, 444 'Nukkad Nataks' (street plays) will be organised to communicate the message in a culturally resonant manner.

Furthermore, 12,500 informative wall paintings will be created to highlight the benefits of Crop Residue Management (CRM) and the ill-effects of paddy straw burning.

Khudian said 3,333 village-level camps and 296 block-level camps will be organised to provide farmers with direct access to information, expert advice, and government schemes on Crop Residue Management (CRM), empowering them to adopt sustainable practices, besides mobilising 148 ASHA workers to conduct door-to-door awareness campaigns in villages, personalising the message for families.

Also, school students will be engaged through essay writing, painting, and debate competitions to instil environmental consciousness from a young age.

"The health of our soil and our people is our top priority. This year, we are not just focusing on providing machinery, but on winning the hearts and minds of our farming community. This massive outreach programme is a mass movement against stubble burning. We are going directly to the grassroots -- to the villages, schools and homes -- to educate, empower and encourage our farmers to become champions of crop residue management. Our goal is to ensure a cleaner, greener, and healthier Punjab for our future generations," Khudian said, as per an official statement.

He said the campaign underscores the government's firm commitment to addressing the challenge of air pollution.

Administrative Secretary (Agriculture) Basant Garg said that 1.58 lakh CRM machines have been provided to state farmers since 2018-19. He expressed confidence that proactive community engagement and mechanisation of the agriculture sector would lead to a further substantial reduction in stubble burning incidents this season.

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