With the concerted efforts of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government, the state has witnessed a 68 per cent decline in stubble burning incidents as of November 3 this year.
Punjab Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian on Sunday said that a total of 4,132 farm fires have been reported till date as compared to 12,813 during the same period last year.
To equip the state farmers with the latest technology for effective crop residue management, the Punjab Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department has sanctioned as many as 21,958 Crop Residue Management (CRM) machines. The farmers have already procured 14,587 machines so far this year, bringing the total to over 1.45 lakh machines since 2018.
Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian highlighted that during current year the Super Seeder machine with 9,010 units procured, is the most popular among the Crop Residue Management (CRM) machines.
It is followed by the Zero Till Drill (1,383), RMB Plough (627),Baler (595) and Rake (590) so far. He further mentioned that 620 Customer Hiring Centres (CHCs) have also been established across the state so far to facilitate small and marginal farmers in accessing CRM machinery for effective crop residue management post-paddy harvesting.
Appealing the farmers to shun stubble burning to save the environment from pollution, he said that individual farmers can avail 50 per cent subsidy on the cost of CRM equipment, while, 80 per cent subsidy is for cooperative societies, FPOs, panchayats limited to a maximum as per the guidelines of the scheme.
The reduction in stubble burning incidents is a testament to the concerted efforts of the Punjab government and the farming community, added the minister.