Chandigarh
Punjab Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Khudian announced on Wednesday a comprehensive Rs 500 crore plan aimed at curbing stubble burning by providing machinery for this year’s paddy harvest. He disclosed that the department has received 21,511 applications from various stakeholders including farmers, co-operative societies, Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), and panchayats seeking subsidies for Crop Residue Management (CRM) machinery during the upcoming Kharif season. These applications represent a demand for 63,697 machines.
Under the scheme, individual farmers are eligible for a 50% subsidy on CRM equipment costs, while co-operative societies, FPOs, and panchayats can avail an 80% subsidy. The range of subsidized machinery includes super SMS harvesters, seeders like super seeder, surface seeder, smart seeder, and happy seeder, along with paddy straw choppers, shredders, mulchers, hydraulic reversible mould board ploughs, zero-till drills for in-situ management, and balers and rakes for ex-situ operations.
Highlighting previous efforts, Khudian noted that 130,000 CRM machines have been distributed to farmers between 2018-19 and 2023. He also announced plans for an information, education, and communication campaign to train farmers on biomass management technologies. Emphasizing transparency, he directed officials to strictly enforce rules and take stringent action against any violations.
