The Supreme Court, which lashed out at authorities on Wednesday for failing to curb severe air pollution in the Delhi-NCR region, directed the governments of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to provide support of ₹100/quintal within seven days to small and marginal farmers who have not burned the stubble.

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Observing that “agriculture is the backbone of the country’s economy and it’s the bounden duty of the state to look after the interest of farmers”, a bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra said it is absolutely necessary that the farmers are provided necessary machines to prevent stubble burning.

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The bench, also comprising Justice Deepak Gupta, directed the Centre and state governments of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi to prepare a comprehensive scheme within three months to take care of environmental issues.

“It is a shocking state of affairs that there are unpaved routes and pits in the national capital of the country,” the bench observed during the hearing.

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