In a decisive move to tackle the issue of stubble burning, the Haryana Department of Agriculture has announced that an FIR will be filed against farmers who engage in this practice. Additionally, a "red entry" will be recorded in their farm records, preventing them from selling their crops through the e-Kharid portal for the next two seasons.
The order, issued on October 17, 2024, comes in response to ongoing concerns about air quality and environmental degradation caused by crop residue burning. The directive mandates that all farmers found guilty of burning paddy crop residue from September 15, 2024, onwards will face legal repercussions under relevant laws. This measure follows a report submitted to the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) indicating that as of October 14, 232 farmers had already received red entries against their names.
A meeting held on October 14, which included Deputy Commissioners from various districts, emphasised the importance of enforcing these new measures. During the meeting, Haryana's Agriculture Department revealed that there had been 468 reported incidents of fire related to stubble burning between September 15 and October 13. However, ground verification showed discrepancies, with 173 cases not having any fires located and four fires occurring on non-agricultural land or due to garbage burning.
To combat stubble burning, the Haryana government has deployed 3,224 nodal officers and has provided farmers with Crop Residue Management (CRM) equipment at subsidized rates since the 2018-19 agricultural season. The state is also offering financial incentives—Rs 1,000 per acre for using CRM equipment and Rs 500 per acre for transporting paddy crop residue to cowsheds.
The Agriculture Department's stringent measures aim to significantly reduce stubble-burning practices, thereby promoting sustainable farming and improving air quality in the region.
