Haryana witnessed 1,296 incidents of stubble burning this year, recording a 38 per cent reduction as compared to last year, Chief Secretary Sanjeev Kaushal said on Friday.

In a virtual review meeting chaired by M M Kutty, chairman, Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR, Kaushal said the state government is highly vigilant about the air quality index (AQI) and has implemented stringent measures to further reduce paddy straw burning.

He said incidents of stubble burning have reduced by 38 per cent in 2023 compared to 2022 when the state recorded 2,083 such cases. He said when compared to 2021, straw burning incidents saw a substantial 57 per cent reduction in 2023.

The chief secretary said despite achieving a significant reduction in stubble burning incidents, with the number decreasing from 3,038 cases in 2021 to 1,296 cases in 2023, the state government remains dedicated to eliminating unsustainable practices like paddy straw stubble burning.

“This commitment is reflected in the notification issued on October 30, introducing the Haryana Ex-situ Management of Paddy Straw–2023 scheme. This scheme aims to ensure the assured and adequate supply of paddy straw to biomass-based projects,” he said.

Kaushal said the government is taking strict monitoring and enforcement measures to check farm fires, including real-time reporting of burning events and the deployment of district and block-level enforcement teams and flying squads.

He said village and block-level nodal officers have also been appointed to prevent crop residue burning. Moreover, the government is taking stringent actions against those responsible for farm fires, having imposed 939 challans with fines totaling over Rs 25.12 lakh by October 31.

Officers responsible for farm fires have been called to explain their actions and erring officials have been suspended, the chief secretary said.

He said Haryana’s comprehensive strategy includes both in-situ and ex-situ management, with a focus on categorizing villages into ‘red, yellow and green’ zones based on active fire incidents.

“The state government is also committed to providing crop residue management (CRM) machines to farmers on a subsidy, with 19,141 machines already sanctioned for the disposal to the community. An area of 940 lakh acres has been registered for incentives of Rs 1,000 per acre amounting to Rs Rs 90.40 crore,” he added.

The senior official said the state government is exploring the industrial utilization of paddy straw by identifying clusters of villages that produce biomass in various industries, with the aim of reducing stubble burning and promoting environmentally conscious agriculture. Industrial utilisation of 13.54 Mt of paddy straw is projected for the current year, he added.