Centre Steps Up Stubble Management, Warns States Against Burning

• Centre calls for urgent action to prevent stubble burning during harvesting.
• Haryana records a 53.3% decline and Uttar Pradesh around 32%.
• States asked to repair machinery and ensure subsidised access for small farmers.
• District-level surveillance to be strengthened, including after 3 PM.

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 13th Oct: Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Tuesday called for urgent, coordinated action by states to prevent stubble burning during the ongoing paddy harvesting season, stressing that crop residue should become a source of additional income for farmers rather than a cause of air pollution.

At a high-level inter-ministerial review meeting at Krishi Bhawan, the ministers directed district administrations to strengthen field-level monitoring, ensure the availability of crop residue management machinery and develop practical alternatives for stubble disposal before the sowing of rabi crops.

Chouhan said merely asking farmers not to burn crop residue would not work unless affordable and accessible alternatives were available. He highlighted the potential of stubble for producing organic manure, bio-CNG, bio-ethanol and electricity, besides its use as animal fodder.

He also directed officials to repair non-functional machinery, activate Custom Hiring Centres and ensure that small and marginal farmers could access equipment at subsidised rates. District collectors were asked to prepare local action plans and ensure that implementation moved beyond paperwork.

According to data presented at the meeting, stubble-burning incidents between September 15 and October 12 declined by 53.3 per cent in Haryana and around 32 per cent in Uttar Pradesh compared with the corresponding period last year. Punjab also recorded a reduction, while the increase in incidents in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan prompted directions for targeted action in affected districts and villages.

The Centre has provided more than 3.54 lakh crop residue management machines to states, including 26,109 during the current financial year, 2026–27. Under the Crop Residue Management scheme, ₹4,266.47 crore was released between 2018–19 and 2025–26. Punjab was urged to submit its pending Utilisation Certificate promptly to facilitate the release of the next instalment.

Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav called for closer coordination between satellite monitoring, field inspections and enforcement teams. He stressed the need for special vigilance during the satellite-monitoring gap after 3 PM, alongside improved coordination with the Commission for Air Quality Management and the Central Pollution Control Board.

The ministers also called for stronger links between farmers and industries using crop residue, including thermal power plants, compressed biogas facilities and bio-ethanol plants. Chouhan urged states to treat stubble management as a shared responsibility involving central and state governments, district administrations and agricultural institutions.