Punjab Govt launches mass outreach to curb stubble burning, promote eco-friendly farming

‘Nukkad nataks’, informative wall paintings and other activities will be part of the Punjab government’s extensive campaign to highlight the ill effects of stubble burning and the benefits of crop residue management (CRM) machinery, officials said on Sunday.

Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian said the state government has unveiled a comprehensive and ambitious information, education and communication (IEC) plan for crop residue management as part of its move to address the pressing concern of stubble burning and foster sustainable agricultural practices in the state.

Stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana is often blamed for the rise in air pollution in Delhi after harvesting of the paddy crop in October and November.

As the window for the Rabi crop, wheat, is very short after the paddy harvest, some farmers set their fields on fire to quickly clear off the crop residue for sowing the next crop.

Khudian said the extensive campaign aims at engaging communities, students and farmers to drive a behavioural shift towards eco-friendly practices, thereby promoting sustainable agriculture.

The multi-faceted IEC strategy encompasses a wide range of activities designed for maximum reach and impact.

To effectively disseminate information, the department will deploy 50 dedicated publicity vans to broadcast informative messages in rural areas.

Additionally, 444 ‘nukkad nataks’ (street plays) will be organised to communicate the message in a culturally resonant manner, he said.

Furthermore, 12,500 informative wall paintings will be created across the state to highlight the benefits of CRM and the ill effects of paddy straw burning.

Khudian said as many as 3,333 village-level camps and 296 block-level camps will be organised to provide farmers with direct access to information, expert advice and government schemes on crop residue management (CRM), empowering them to adopt sustainable practices. In addition, 148 ASHA workers will be mobilised to conduct door-to-door awareness campaigns in villages, personalising the message for families.

Furthermore, school students will be engaged through essay writing, painting and debate competitions to instil environmental consciousness from a young age.

“The health of our soil and our people is our top priority. This year, we are not just focusing on providing machinery, but on winning the hearts and minds of our farming community. This massive outreach programme is a mass movement against stubble burning,” Khudian said.

“We are going directly to the grassroots — to villages, schools and homes — to educate, empower and encourage our farmers to become champions of crop residue management. Our goal is to ensure a cleaner, greener and healthier Punjab for our future generations,’ said Khudian, adding that the campaign underscores the state government’s commitment to addressing the challenge of air pollution.

Administrative Secretary (Agriculture) Basant Garg stated that a total of 1.58 lakh crop residue management (CRM) machines have been provided to state farmers since 2018–19.

He expressed confidence that proactive community engagement and mechanisation of the agriculture sector would lead to a further substantial reduction in stubble burning incidents this season.

Meanwhile, Punjab has seen 82 fire incidents from September 15 to 27, out of which crop residue burning was physically verified at 47 sites, as per the data of the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB).

The maximum cases have been reported from Amritsar at 46, followed by 10 in Patiala and nine in Tarn Taran.

A fine of Rs 2.20 lakh in the form of environmental compensation has been imposed on farmers who set their crop residue on fire, as per the PPCB data. Of the total fine, Rs 1.70 lakh has been recovered.

The data also showed that a total of 46 FIRs — 22 in Amritsar alone — have been registered in the farm fires. The cases have been registered under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which pertains to disobedience of an order duly promulgated by a public servant.

The state authorities also marked 32 red entries in the land records of erring farmers. The red entries bar farmers from getting loans against their farmland or selling the same.

Recording of farm fire incidents started from September 15 and will continue till November 30.

The state saw 10,909 total farm fires in 2024 as compared to 36,663 in 2023, registering a 70 per cent decrease.

Punjab had recorded 49,922 fire events in 2022, 71,304 in 2021, 76,590 in 2020, 55,210 in 2019 and 50,590 in 2018, with many districts, including Sangrur, Mansa, Bathinda and Amritsar, witnessing a large number of stubble burning incidents.