Punjab sees 52% drop in farm fire incidents since 2020-21
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann announced a significant 52% decrease in farm fire incidents since 2020-21, citing increased awareness and government subsidies for crop residual management machines as key factors. This reduction is a welcome relief amidst growing concerns about air pollution.
At a recent meeting on crop residue management, Mann emphasised educating farmers about the dangers of burning paddy straw and the available subsidies for straw management equipment. The state’s efforts have led to 30% reduction in fire incidents in 2022-23 (from 76,929 to 71,159) and 26% further reduction in 2023-24 (from 71,159 to 49,922)
The ‘Unnat Kisan’ mobile application has been launched to facilitate easy booking of Crop Residue Management (CRM) machines from nearby Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs), benefiting small and marginal farmers. Over 1.30 lakh CRM machines have been mapped on the app.
To enhance accessibility, village-level nodal officers will pre-assign machines based on farmers’ preferences. Mann also advocated for establishing CHCs at Panchayats and common locations.
The state government received 63,904 applications for machinery subsidies through the (link unavailable) portal and aims to distribute 14,000 machines to individual farmers and establish 1,100 CHCs across districts.
