"It is all too easy to defame farmers of Punjab": Minister Harjot Singh Bains on air pollution

Punjab School Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains on Wednesday defended the state's air quality and the Bhagwant Mann-led government's efforts on stubble management, saying Punjab's air was clean and accusing critics of unfairly targeting farmers.

Punjab School Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains on Wednesday defended the state's air quality and the Bhagwant Mann-led government's efforts on stubble management, saying Punjab's air was clean, while accusing critics of unfairly targeting farmers. Speaking about pollution in Punjab, Bains said people should visit the state to assess the situation and highlighted the work undertaken by the state government on stubble management.

"Come along with me, let me show you Punjab. The air in Punjab is clean. If you look at the work the Mann government has done on the ground concerning stubble management—well, see for yourself," he said. Bains said it was easy to defame Punjab's farmers and objected to remarks allegedly made by a BJP leader describing farmers as drug addicts.

"It is all too easy to defame the farmers of Punjab. I was reading that a BJP leader even went so far as to claim that farmers are drug addicts. It is unbecoming to vilify the very people who provide the food you eat," he said. On the cleanliness drive in schools and across the state, Bains said Sri Anandpur Sahib receiving the 'most promising' city award was a matter of pride and expressed the government's intention to build on the achievement.

"It is a matter of great pride for us that Sri Anandpur Sahib has received an award as a 'most promising' city. We intend to build on this progress," he said. He added that the 'Clean Punjab' mission had led to improvements in several other cities and that the initiative would continue.

"Under our 'Clean Punjab' mission, we have seen significant improvements in many other cities across the state, and we will continue to take this initiative further." (ANI)