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Re:India air pollution at 'unbearable levels' by JumpCrisscross on Sunday November 03, 2019 @12:56PM (#21435407)
> A major factor behind the high pollution levels at this time of year is farmers in neighbouring states burning crop stubble to clear their fields

What is the obstacle to fining these farmers? (Most agricultural systems have moved past burning stubble.)

Do the farmers form a blocking bloc? Or are there other factors at play.

Re:India air pollution at 'unbearable levels' by muktabh on Sunday November 03, 2019 @01:11PM (#21435505)
Farmers are financially not that well off and a big share of population in India is farmers. There is already provision of prosecuting farmers in law, but no administration wants to punish the relatively poor + electorally important farmers by enforcing the laws.
Re:India air pollution at 'unbearable levels' by inapis on Sunday November 03, 2019 @03:56PM (#21436532)
Punjab and Haryana farmers are by no means poor farmers.
Re:India air pollution at 'unbearable levels' by kamaal on Monday November 04, 2019 @12:06AM (#21439185)
In India it's important to make a distinction between farm laborers and farmers. Traditionally what people referred to as farmers in India are basically feudals, and they are by no means poor people, they are easily some of the richest people in India.

Farm laborers are a totally different set of working class people. Who only until recent decades were into as bad as a thing like bonded labor. They work on starving wages and are generally poor and from lower castes.

India for very long has given feudals unlimited loan bailouts, and freebies. They also pay no taxes. Most of my friends who come from farmer families has gone to do expensive education in countries like US. And they are often confused with farm laborers and they milk this perception to the very extreme.

Imagine being so rich you hold large banks of land, make windfall profits, pay zero taxes on them and get freebies(seeds, fertilizers, water, electricity) and then being confused as the poorest people in India.

Its the farm laborers that need help. And they are unfortunately treated very badly. Heck many people don't even recognize their existence.

Re:India air pollution at 'unbearable levels' by mkagenius on Sunday November 03, 2019 @01:07PM (#21435470)
No Indian government will openly fine farmers (they secretly fine for not maintaining the minimum balance in the bank accounts of state owned banks) -- with majority of population coming under the name "farmers" (including Amitabh Bachchan.
Re:India air pollution at 'unbearable levels' by JumpCrisscross on Sunday November 03, 2019 @01:22PM (#21435574)
> No Indian government will openly fine farmers

Why aren’t the farmers’ interests balanced by the afflicted voters?

Re:India air pollution at 'unbearable levels' by toast0 on Sunday November 03, 2019 @02:11PM (#21435891)
More voters are farmers or are aligned with keeping farmers' costs low than are affected by the pollution or aligned with clean air standards.

It's not a local issue because the pollution emitting happens in a different state than where the concentration causes most of the problems, so it would need to be addressed at the national level.

Re:India air pollution at 'unbearable levels' by puranjay on Sunday November 03, 2019 @10:57PM (#21438907)
Farmers are virtually half the population and going against them is a guarantee that you'll never be elected again.
Re:India air pollution at 'unbearable levels' by lozenge on Sunday November 03, 2019 @01:03PM (#21435450)
Systematic corruption?