Barnala farmers win cash prizes in lucky draw for saying no to stubble burning

The Barnala district administration has rolled out a first-of-its-kind Rs 7-lakh lucky draw scheme to encourage farmers to manage their paddy stubble instead of burning it.

In the maiden draw held today under the supervision of Deputy Commissioner T Benith, farmer Kehar Singh from Gangohar village clinched the top prize of Rs 20,000. Harpreet Singh from Kot Duna village and Bikkar Singh from Jhaloor village bagged the second and third prizes of Rs 10,000 and Rs 5,000, respectively.

In all, 25 farmers were rewarded in the first round, with the remaining 22 receiving Rs 2,500 each. The district administration will conduct a total of seven such rounds once every week.

“The farmers who have shown commitment to eco-friendly practices deserve appreciation. Some of them had approached us seeking financial assistance, so this lucky draw was planned. It is being executed with the help of some industrialists under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) scheme,” said the DC, adding that the winners managed their crop residue responsibly, steering clear of the harmful practice of stubble burning.

Farmers interested in the draw had to register on a special web portal, uploading photos of their standing crop, harvesting process and stubble storage site. After verification by stubble management officers, their entries were approved for the draw.

The DC appealed to all farmers to follow these role models and adopt scientific methods to manage crop residue, helping curb air pollution.

Notably, 25 villages have been identified as hotspots for stubble burning in the district, and nearly 250 village-level nodal officers have been appointed to monitor the situation and carry out awareness drives.

Meanwhile, the Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Dakaunda) has put up hoardings in several villages, questioning the state government’s actions against farmers who burn paddy stubble in the fields. "We will protest the action against the farmers, as the state government has failed to implement the directives of the Supreme Court and the National Green Tribunal to provide financial assistance to them. We also demand an increase in the permissible moisture content of paddy crop from 17 to 22 per cent," said farm leaders Gurdeep Singh Rampura and Harnek Singh Mehma.