Central Government releases funds of Rs. 3,333 crore under the Crop Residue Management Scheme for management of paddy straw

During the 45 days of the current paddy harvesting season i.e., 15 September 2023 to 29 October 2023, the total stubble burning incidents in Haryana, Punjab, NCR – UP, NCR- Rajasthan, and Delhi have come down from 13,964 in the corresponding period in 2022 to 6,391 in 2023 and from 11,461 in the corresponding period in 2021 to 6,391 in 2023, i.e., a reduction of 54.2 per cent & 44.3 per cent, respectively.

Over the past two years, several actions by different stakeholders, such as regular reviews and daily monitoring, have significantly lowered the number of stubble-burning occurrences.

The farm fire events reported in Punjab during the last 45-day period in 2023 are 56.6 per cent & 41.6 per cent less as compared to the corresponding periods in 2022 and 2021 respectively.

In Punjab, during these 45 days, the single-day highest fire count during this year was reported on 29 October, i.e., 1,068 as against 2,067 reported on 28 October 2022 and 1,353 reported on 29 October 2021.

The five Districts of Punjab where maximum stubble burning has been detected in the current year so far, with the number of incidents are as follows: Amritsar – 1,060, Tarn Taran – 646, Patiala – 614, Sangrur – 564, and Firozpur – 517.

The total stubble burning incidents detected in Haryana during these 45 days are 1,094 as against 1,813 in 2022 and 2,413 in 2021.

The farm fire events reported in Haryana during the current year are 39.7 per cent & 54.7 per cent less as compared to the corresponding periods in 2022 and 2021 respectively.

In Haryana during these 45 days, the single-day highest fire count during this year was reported on 15  October i.e., 127 as against 250 reported on 24  October in 2022 and 363 reported on 15 October in 2021.

The five Districts of Haryana where maximum stubble burning has been detected in the current year so far, with the number of incidents is as follows: Fatehabad – 180, Kaithal – 151, Ambala – 147, Jind – 132, Kurukshetra – 120.

The Central Government has so far released funds to the tune of about Rs. 3,333 crores under the Crop Residue Management Scheme (CRMS), to the State Government of Punjab, NCR States, and GNCT of Delhi for subsidised procurement of machines by individual farmers or custom hiring centres and cooperatives to facilitate in-situ management of paddy straw as also for baling or raking machines and equipment to facilitate ex-situ applications.

The total number of crop residue management (CRM) machines available in Punjab is 1,17,672, in Haryana 80,071, and in UP- NCR 7,986.  Additionally, action is underway to procure an additional 23,000 CRM machines in Punjab, 7,572 in Haryana, and 595 in Uttar Pradesh for NCR to augment availability during the current harvesting season.

As of now, there is a substantial reduction in paddy stubble burning incidents compared to previous years.  However, there has been a sudden spike in stubble burning cases in Punjab during the last few days and harvesting is expected to peak in the next couple of weeks. The detected incidents of stubble burning in Punjab on 29th October alone was 1,068.

The State Governments of Punjab and Haryana have therefore been advised by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in NCR and Adjoining Areas to mobilize the entire State administrative machinery to take all preventive and corrective measures for control of stubble burning as per the Framework and Action Plans, for further focused attention to ensure that the gains achieved are not lost and the momentum is maintained in the coming days.

The Commission has been reviewing the implementation of Action Plans for control of stubble burning in Punjab and NCR States regularly.

The Commission is also monitoring the paddy stubble burning incidents and taking up with the State Governments of Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh daily including with Chief Secretaries and Deputy Commissioners of the Districts concerned.

Stubble-burning incidents are reported as per the standard protocol developed by ISRO for the Commission.