The Deputy Commissioner Jalandhar Mr. Varinder Kumar Sharma launched the e-magazine prepared by the Agriculture and Farmers Welfare department for making the farmers aware of the effective techniques for ensuring Paddy Straw Management through social media.Unveiling the hard copy of magazine here at his office in the District Administrative Complex, the Deputy Commissioner described it as a path breaking initiative of the Agriculture department to make the farmers aware through e-content. He said that this was the apt use of technology for making the farmers aware of the benefits of Paddy Straw Management. Mr. Sharma envisioned that this out of box idea of the Agriculture department out go a long way in sensitizing he farmers about this grave issue.The Deputy Commissioner further said that burning of paddy straw was very hazardous for the farmers and land, which was considered mother by our agriculturalists. He unequivocally said that burning of paddy straw was hardly a solution for the farm residue management as it ruins the health of soil besides casting a castigating affect on the environment. Mr. Sharma said that due to burning of paddy straw several major nutrients and other micro nutrients of soil were destroyed adding that the burning of paddy straw produces several poisonous gases which have adverse effect on human health. “So the need of hour is to generate maximum awareness amongst farmers to encourage them for paddy straw management, in which this initiative will contribute tremendously” he added.Meanwhile Chief Agriculture Officer Dr. Naazar Singh and Agriculture Officer Dr. Naresh Gulati apprised the Deputy Commissioner that this e-magazine would be circulated amongst the farmers via Facebook and Whatsapp. They informed the Deputy Commissioner that the farmers were connected with them through these platforms of social media adding that Whatsapp group at District and Block level have been created to disseminate valuable information to farmers.