Lok Sabha Question No. 4233 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-19
Subject: Alternatives to Stubble Burning
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Shri Deepender Singh Hooda

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4233

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 19 TH  AUGUST, 2025

## ALTERNATIVES TO STUBBLE BURNING

## 4233.  SHRI DEEPENDER SINGH HOODA:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ͪष एवं ͩकसान कãयाण मंğी be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  Government  has  assessed  the  current  extent  and  regional  patterns  of stubble burning in the country, especially in the northern States;
- (b)  the steps taken by the Government to promote alternatives to stubble burning, such as crop diversification and in-situ residue management;
- (c)  whether  there  has  been  any  evaluation  of  the  effectiveness  of  subsidies  provided  for machinery and equipment under various schemes; and
- (d)  whether the Government proposes to work in collaboration with State Governments and farmers'  organisations  to  reduce  the  incidence  of  stubble  burning  through  incentives, awareness campaigns, or stricter enforcement?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ͪष एवं ͩकसान कãयाण राÏय मंğी (SHRI RAMNATH THAKUR)

- (a): Paddy stubble  burning  is mainly  practiced  in  Indo-Gangetic  plains  of  the  States  of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh due to short window between the harvesting of paddy crop and sowing of next Rabi crop. The active fire events due to paddy residue burning are monitored using satellite remote sensing by the Consortium for Research on Agroecosystem  Monitoring  and  Modelling  from  Space  (CREAMS)  Laboratory,  Division  of Agricultural  Physics,  Indian  Council  of  Agricultural  Research  (ICAR)  -  Indian  Agricultural Research  Institute  (IARI),  New  Delhi.  As  per  their  report,  the  burning  events  detected between 15 September to 30 November for the period from 2018 to 2024 is indicated in below table:

| State         |   Incidences of Paddy Stubble Burning in the States (Numbers) |   Incidences of Paddy Stubble Burning in the States (Numbers) |   Incidences of Paddy Stubble Burning in the States (Numbers) |   Incidences of Paddy Stubble Burning in the States (Numbers) |   Incidences of Paddy Stubble Burning in the States (Numbers) |   Incidences of Paddy Stubble Burning in the States (Numbers) |   Incidences of Paddy Stubble Burning in the States (Numbers) |
|---------------|---------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------|
|               |                                                          2018 |                                                          2019 |                                                          2020 |                                                          2021 |                                                          2022 |                                                          2023 |                                                          2024 |
| Punjab        |                                                         59664 |                                                         50735 |                                                         83002 |                                                         71304 |                                                         49922 |                                                         36650 |                                                         10909 |
| Haryana       |                                                          9227 |                                                          6364 |                                                          4202 |                                                          6987 |                                                          3661 |                                                          2296 |                                                          1406 |
| Uttar Pradesh |                                                          6623 |                                                          4230 |                                                          4631 |                                                          4242 |                                                          3017 |                                                          3985 |                                                          6142 |
| Total         |                                                         75514 |                                                         61329 |                                                         91835 |                                                         82533 |                                                         56600 |                                                         42931 |                                                         18457 |

The  overall  reduction  in  paddy  stubble  burning  in  year  2024  when  compared  with 2018 was 75.6 percent.

(b): To support the efforts of the states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and NCT of Delhi,  to  address  air  pollution  caused  due  to  paddy  stubble  burning  and  to  subsidize machinery  required  for  management  of  crop  residue,  the  Department  of  Agriculture  and Farmers Welfare (DA&FW) is implementing Crop Residue Management (CRM) Scheme in these states from  2018-19.  Under this scheme, financial assistance @ 50% of the cost of machine is provided to the farmers for purchase of crop residue management machines and @ 80% of the project for projects up to Rs. 30 lakhs is provided for establishment of Custom Hiring  Centres  (CHCs)  of  crop  residue  management  machines.  With  a  view  to  enable efficient ex-situ management of paddy straw generated in these states, financial assistance @  65%  on  the  capital  cost  of  machinery  costing  up  to  Rs.  1.50  crores  is  provided  for establishing a robust supply chain of paddy straw for various end user industries in biomass power  generation  and  biofuel  sectors.  Bio-Decomposer  (microbial  consortium  of  fungal species)  is  promoted,  which  accelerates  the  in-situ  decomposition  of  paddy  straw.  Crop Diversification Programme is also implemented in these States to primarily divert the area of water  intensive  paddy  crop  to  alternate  crops  like  pulses,  oilseeds,  coarse  cereals,  nutricereals, cotton. Assistance is provided to farmers through implementing state governments for  alternate  crop  demonstrations viz.  Rs.  9000/ha  for  pulses,  Rs. 7500/ha  for  maize  and barley, Rs. 11500/ha for maize hybrid and Rs. 7500/ha for nutri-cereals.

(c): Under the CRM scheme, during the period from 2018-19 to 2025-26 (as on 31 July 2025),  an  amount  of  Rs.  3926.16  Crore  have  been  released  to  the  States  of  Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh & NCT  of Delhi and ICAR.  The States have established more than 42,000 Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs) of  crop  residue management  machines and  more than 3.24 lakh crop residue management machines have been supplied to these CHCs and individual farmers of these States.

(d): The  Government  is  actively  working  with  state  governments  and  various  other stakeholders including farmers to reduce stubble burning by implementing a multi-pronged approach,  which include  financial  assistance  under CRM scheme for purchase  of various machines  and  equipments  for  in-situ  and  ex-situ  management  of  crop  residue  and conducting  awareness  campaigns.  The  Commission  for  Air  Quality  Management  in  NCR and  Adjoining  Areas  (CAQM)  has  issued  direction  No.  90  dated  09.05.2025  to  the respective states for strict implementation of the framework and action plan for prevention and  control  of  paddy  stubble  burning  during  the  year  2025,  targeting  to  eliminate  the practice  through  strict  enforcement.  The  Action  Plan  includes  measures  like  in-situ  crop residue management, ex-situ utilization of paddy straw, crop diversification, strict monitoring and enforcement, and extensive awareness campaigns, all aimed at reducing the practice of burning agricultural residue after harvest.

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