India, Oct. 8 -- Union agriculture minister Shivraj Chouhan and union environment minister Bhupender Yadav discussed effective management of stubble residue to prevent farm fire incidents, at a joint meeting with states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi on Tuesday.

Issuing a range of directions, Chouhan called for the need to spread awareness among farmers, involvement of panchayats and local representatives; effective utilisation of funds by states for stubble management and promotion of crop diversification for sustained long-term results.

"Commendable work is being done in this regard, but continuous and sustained efforts are necessary to achieve larger goals. Public awareness among farmers is crucial and panchayats, local ...