CAQM Reviews Stubble Burning Prevention Measures and Inspects Hotspot Villages in Amritsar and Tarn Taran Districts
Distilled Policy Brief
- The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) conducted high-level field assessments in Punjab's hotspot districts of Amritsar and Tarn Taran to evaluate in-situ and ex-situ crop residue management (CRM) measures.
- CAQM deployed dedicated Flying Squads across 18 districts in Punjab from October 1 to November 30 to enforce compliance and monitor seasonal stubble burning.
- The intervention emphasizes industrial supply-chain linkages for paddy straw bales with boiler industries alongside district-level control rooms and CRM machinery distribution.
🎯 Prelims High-Yield Examination Points
Statutory mandate of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), operational mechanisms of Flying Squads, and technical distinctions between in-situ and ex-situ crop residue management.
⚖️ Mains Analytical & Syllabus Linkages
Assess the efficacy of statutory regional bodies like CAQM in addressing cross-boundary environmental externalities like stubble burning through market-linked supply chains and strict enforcement.
🎯 UPSC Prelims Practice Drill
Consider the following statements regarding the measures taken by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to curb paddy stubble burning: 1. CAQM has deployed dedicated Flying Squads across selected districts in Punjab to enforce compliance and monitor seasonal stubble burning during the peak harvest period. 2. The management strategy exclusively relies on in-situ crop residue management (CRM) techniques, completely precluding ex-situ utilization such as industrial boiler linkages. 3. District-level control rooms and helplines have been established to assist farmers with Crop Residue Management (CRM) machinery and report fire incidents. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- [A] 1 only
- [B] 1 and 3 only
- [C] 2 and 3 only
- [D] 1, 2 and 3
▶ Reveal Official Answer & Analytical Explanation
Statement 1 is correct because CAQM has deployed dedicated Flying Squads across districts in Punjab to enforce compliance and monitor stubble burning. Statement 2 is incorrect because the strategy emphasizes both in-situ and ex-situ crop residue management (CRM), including industrial supply-chain linkages for paddy straw bales with boiler industries. Statement 3 is correct as districts have established control rooms, help desks, and helplines to facilitate CRM machinery distribution and report incidents.
🏛️ Historical Twin PYQ Anchor (2021)
Consider the following statements regarding the "National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)": 1. It is implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. 2. Central Pollution Control Board acts as the sole regulatory executive body.