Stubble burning: SC asks Centre to decide in 2 weeks on Punjab’s demand for incentives to farmers

The Supreme Court has asked the Centre to take an “appropriate decision” in two weeks on the Punjab Government’s demand for Rs 1,200 crore for payment of incentives to farmers to dissuade them from stubble burning that turns Delhi-NCR into a virtual gas chamber during October-December.

“We direct the Government of India to immediately look into the proposal submitted by the State of Punjab for the release of additional funds so that provision for making available tractors with drivers and diesel can be made to those farmers whose holding is less than 10 hectares,” a three-judge Bench led by Justice AS Oka said in its October 23 order.

As the Bench pulled up the governments of Punjab and Haryana for not prosecuting all errant farmers and letting them off with small fines, Punjab Advocate General Gurminder Singh emphasised that penalizing farmers wasn't a solution to the problem as most of them were marginal farmers who needed to be given incentives.

Noting that paddy is grown on 32 lakh hectare land in Punjab, the state government told the top court that an amount of Rs 2,000 crore is needed as Crop Residue Management Incentive Payment (CRMIP) to be paid to farmers to dissuade then from stubble burning.

While Rs 400 crore each proposed to be shared by the governments of Punjab and Delhi, it wanted the Centre to shell out Rs 1,200 crore. In an affidavit filed in the top court it said that the majority of marginal farmers find it difficult to use the Crop Residue Management Machines because of the cost involved.

Earlier, in a letter dated October 19, 2024 addressed to the Union Agriculture Secretary, Punjab Chief Secretary K A P Sinha said the state has proposed to pay Rs 2,500 per acre to be given to farmers as CRMIP to encourage them not to burn paddy stubble.

“Rationale behind this proposal was that many of the farmers and in particular the marginal farmers find it difficult to use the machinery because of the cost involved in running the machinery. This incentive amount will help them meet the expenditure to be incurred on operational cost of usage of Crop Residue Management Machinery i.e. hiring of tractor, cost off diesel, cost of manpower etc.,” the letter read.

The Punjab Government’s views on the issue were not appreciated by the Centre which in August 2022 said that the guidelines on Crop Residue Management and Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization did not have any provision for such an expenditure.

However, now the Supreme Court has directed the Central Government to take an appropriate decision on the proposal submitted by the state government in two weeks.