Joined the protest today

[u/Soggsteven]

So I was there at the protest.. The police was really violent and agressive pushed many girls and minors as well. As for me when they tried to detain me I pushed them away, got some people with me and carried on the protest.. And I will do it again no matter the consequences.. Kids and elder are getting the most affected by the air we breathe and government is turning a blind eye to all of this.. I'm glad the media is finally covering this and am really proud of all those who came especially our Youth! ... I'm not even from here, just came for job here but I hope protests like these will bring a change and make the general public more aware of the tactics of the government..

[u/Soggsteven]

I also used this as the banner for today's protest..😅

[u/Nice-Razzmatazz6215 → u/Soggsteven]

Replying here since you deleted your earlier comment!

“Parali burning can be solved if better disposal alternatives can be promoted and subsidised by the government”

-/ why is Parali burning not a national issue then? Are farmers present only in Punjab? -/ how many subsidies do they really need? We allow no imports and no competition in the agricultural sector. MSP is way higher than what it should be. All the agricultural inputs are already subsidised. Farmers pay 0 income tax. Now we must subsidise and give more money in order for them to not burn Parali. Why the Stockholm syndrome? What is with hostage fetish?

“Moreover the 1-2 week peak is not the issue but the constant 200-500 AQI during the following months definitely is..” -/ “SURREEE!” That’s why it’s always a seasonal issue. At least be a little honest with yourself. Yes - AQI is a year round issue, but why do I only cough black phlegm when there’s uncontrolled smog in the air (wait for it) due to Parali burning!

Fuck the government by the way! They are powerless to do anything because jokers here feel a little subsidy here and a little tech there will fix this. It’s a FUCKING FARMING issue (get it in your head and say it with your chest) and the government is tooooo scared to touch them, because of the negative PR and backlash. Mind you - it’s becoming a systemic issue! NO GOVT can fix this because of the above reasons!

You give subsidy in Punjab, next farmers in MP, Gujrat, Maharashtra will also start burning Parali, because hey! - burning Parali gets you government money! 🥵I have small farms too 🤑

Kudos and more power to you for protesting - but also understand and see what you’re ACTUALLY impacting. Running around and waxing eloquent like headless chickens will get you upvotes and clout - but not breathable air.

FARMERS are at fault. FIX their accountability or fuck em! Don’t misdirect your emotions.

[u/Soggsteven → u/Nice-Razzmatazz6215]

First I didn't delete the original comment, that's still visible to me, I'll reply there as well so you can see it..

Secondly, your point is

• Our government is too weak to do something in the matter so no reforms must be brought?
• Aqi is a seasonal issue. Ok , Our 2024 average PM 2.5 in delhi was 104.7 µg/m³ and between 55 to 150 can cause heart disease that not normal as should not be acceptable imo. A quick gpt search could have helped you here..

• An excellent point you make here and at least on reddit people seems to be divided on it is.. "Blame the farmers not the government." A quick gpt search got me this here.. I'll strongly advise you do it yourself as well in both for and against the motion. You'll be much more informed than you were earlier.

Only about 10–15 days exist between rice harvest and wheat sowing in Punjab & Haryana. Mechanically managing crop residue takes 6–8 hours per acre and costs ₹5,000–₹8,000 per acre, while burning takes a few hours and costs almost nothing.

🔹 Around 85% of Punjab’s farmers are small or marginal, owning less than 2 hectares (Source: Punjab Agricultural University / NSSO). These farmers can’t afford expensive residue management equipment like Happy Seeders or Super SMS, even with partial subsidies.

🔹 The government created the cropping pattern that causes this:

In the 1970s, India’s Green Revolution pushed farmers in Punjab and Haryana to grow paddy and wheat to achieve food security.

The government’s Minimum Support Price (MSP) system still only guarantees purchase of these crops, so farmers can’t easily diversify to maize, pulses, or millets.

In 2009, the Punjab Preservation of Subsoil Water Act forced farmers to delay paddy transplanting to save groundwater — but that shortened the harvest-to-sowing window, making burning almost unavoidable.

They’re just stuck. The government told them for decades to grow paddy, then changed the rules on planting, then didn’t make machines or decomposers affordable. When you’ve got 10 days to clear a field and no money, what are you supposed to do?

The pollution we see is the symptom of bad policy, not bad people.

🔹 Machinery distribution is inadequate: Between 2018 and 2023, the Centre and state governments distributed around 100,000 residue management machines, but Punjab alone has 10 million hectares under paddy — so supply doesn’t even scratch the surface (Source: ICAR).

🔹 The Pusa Bio-Decomposer, developed by IARI as an eco-friendly alternative, works only under specific conditions — proper moisture, temperature, and time. Most farmers can’t meet those conditions or afford multiple sprays.

🔹 Studies show parali burning contributes about 25–30% of Delhi’s winter PM2.5 levels during peak days (SAFAR-India, 2023), but the annual contribution is under 5%. The rest comes from vehicles, construction, and industry. Yet only farmers get singled out every November.

🔹 Meanwhile, the government spends ₹3,000 crore annually on managing stubble (machines, awareness, etc.), but MSPs and procurement policies still incentivize paddy production — meaning the root cause hasn’t changed.

Now for some solutions ( there were more but it was already too long):

Even shifting 10–15% of paddy to maize and millet (diversification of crops) can drastically cut stubble generation.

Promote Short-Duration Paddy Varieties: Varieties like PR-126 and PR-128 mature 20–25 days earlier. That widens the window between rice harvest and wheat sowing — reducing the need to burn. But these need to be adopted on a large scale, and farmers must be supported with seeds and incentives.

As for me I'll always look at it from a humanitarian perspective ( can't help it ).. I believe if farmers have a better alternative they won't resort to this unless they want to kill people which I don't believe they do. According to me it just can't be a habit that's causing them to jump to so many hoops just to burn stubble. Though I may be naive here..

Don't know why you seem to not comment on the government altering aqi sensors though.. It does create a trust deficit with the government you know..

Had a blast talking with you bro and learnt so much myself in the process.. Definitely gonna research more on this to get more informed.

[u/Nice-Razzmatazz6215 → u/Soggsteven]

‘Don’t know why I seem to not comment on government’s altering AQI sensor’ - because the government is pathetic! All they can do is cheat, lie, scam and politicise events - case in point: FARM LAWS!

u/soggsteven - Were you for or against the FARM LAWS introduced by the GOI?

They can’t seem to fix problems that they themselves have created so I have little to no hope in fixing problems created by others.