**Executive Summary**
This document is the answer to Unstarred Question No. 328 in Lok Sabha on December 2nd, 2025, regarding incentives to achieve zero stubble burning in Punjab. It details the Crop Residue Management (CRM) Scheme implemented by the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (DA&FW) to support farmers in adopting crop residue management practices, effective from 2018-19. The response provides information on the financial assistance and distribution of crop residue management machines until November 25, 2025, and the objective to achieve zero stubble burning by 2026.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Crop Residue Management (CRM) Scheme:**
* Implemented by DA&FW through the State Government of Punjab since 2018-19.
* Central funds of Rs. 1963.45 crores released to Punjab for financial assistance.
* **Financial Assistance:**
* 50% subsidy on the cost of crop residue management machines for farmers.
* 80% subsidy for establishing Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs) of crop residue management machines.
* 65% financial assistance for paddy straw supply chain projects (up to Rs. 1.50 Crores) to support industries like Bio-Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), Compressed Biogas (CBG), etc.
* **Distribution of Machines:**
* Over 1.59 lakh machines supplied in Punjab from 2018-19 to November 25, 2025.
* Annexure-I lists the distribution of crop residue management machines in various districts of Punjab in 2025, totaling 10095.
* **Impact and Reduction in Stubble Burning:**
* CRM scheme aims at managing paddy straw holistically to achieve zero stubble burning.
* Paddy straw burning events reduced by 83.7% (from 67079 in 2018 to 10909 in 2024).
* Current year (until November 27) shows a 52.8% reduction compared to 2024.
* **Other Provisions**
* Sale of paddy straw by farmers fetches additional income.
* Funds provided for Information, Education, and Communication activities.
* Enrichment of soil fertility and savings on reduced fertilizer application.
* There is no provision for additional incentives under Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM)
**Impact Analysis**
**Punjab Farmers**
* **Impact:**
* Financial assistance for purchasing crop residue management machines reduces the burden of costs.
* Access to machines through CHCs at lower rentals.
* Potential additional income from selling paddy straw.
* Reduced need for fertilizers through improved soil fertility.
* **Action Required:**
* Utilize available schemes and subsidies to acquire and use crop residue management machines.
**Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs)**
* **Impact:**
* Receive higher subsidies to establish CHCs, making machines accessible to more farmers.
* **Action Required:**
* Establish and maintain CHCs to provide crop residue management machines at affordable rentals.
**Paddy Straw Based Industries (Bio-CNG, CBG, etc.)**
* **Impact:**
* Assured biomass supply security with financial assistance for paddy straw supply chain projects.
* **Action Required:**
* Utilize the financial assistance to ensure a secure supply of paddy straw for operations.
**State Government of Punjab**
* **Impact:**
* Receives central funds for implementing the CRM Scheme.
* **Action Required:**
* Continue implementing the CRM Scheme effectively to reduce stubble burning.
* Take necessary steps for Information, Education and Communication activities.
Key Entities Referenced
Crop Residue Management (CRM) Scheme: A scheme implemented by the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (DA&FW) through the State Government of Punjab, providing financial assistance for crop residue management machines to support farmers in adopting sustainable practices to address stubble burning.
Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (DA&FW): The Indian governmental department responsible for implementing the Crop Residue Management (CRM) Scheme.
Punjab: The Indian state where the Crop Residue Management (CRM) Scheme is being implemented to address the issue of stubble burning by supporting farmers with crop residue management machines.
Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanisation: Referenced initiative related to agricultural mechanization.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE & FARMERS WELFARE
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE & FARMERS WELFARE
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 328
TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 2ND DECEMBER, 2025
INCENTIVES TO ACHIEVE ZERO STUBBLE BURNING
328. SHRI CHARANJIT SINGH CHANNI:
Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ(cid:874)ष एव ं (cid:873)कसान क(cid:227)याण मं(cid:287)ी
be pleased to state:
(a) whether the Government is aware of the ongoing challenges faced by Punjab
farmers in adopting crop residue management machines despite subsidies;
(b) if so, the number of such machines distributed in Jalandhar and other Punjab districts
in 2025; and
(c) the details of the additional incentives planned under the Sub-Mission on Agricultural
Mechanisation to achieve zero stubble burning by 2026?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
कृ(cid:874)ष एवं (cid:873)कसान क(cid:227)याण रा(cid:207)य म(cid:287)ं ी (SHRI RAMNATH THAKUR)
(a) to (c): In order to support the farmers of Punjab for adopting crop residue management
practices, the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (DA&FW) is implementing Crop
Residue Management (CRM) Scheme through the State Government of Punjab w.e.f. 2018-
19. Under this scheme, the central funds amounting to Rs. 1963.45 crores have been
released to the State of Punjab for providing financial assistance to the farmers for purchase
of crop residue management machines @ 50% of the cost of machines and for establishing
Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs) of crop residue management machines @ 80% of the
project cost. Higher share of subsidy is provided for CHCs with the intention of making
available machines and euipments to small and marginal farmers at lower rentals. The
paddy straw supply chain projects are also provided financial assistance @ 65% on the
capital cost of machinery for the projects costing up to Rs. 1.50 Crores with the objectives of
ensuring biomass supply security for paddy straw based industries such as Bio-
Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), Compressed Biogas (CBG), Bio-ethanol, biomass based
power plants etc. The sale of paddy straw by the farmers for use by such industries alsofetches additional income for them. Funds have also been provided to the State for taking
up Information, Education and Communication activities for mass awareness of farmers.
The farmers are adopting crop residue management machines and during the period
from 2018-19 to 2025-26 (as on 25.11.2025), more than 1.59 lakh machines have been
supplied in the State. The overall benefits of in-situ residue management practices by using
these machines also include enrichment of soil fertility and savings on reduced application
of fertilizers. There is no provision for additional incentives under Sub-Mission on
Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM) and all these interventions under the CRM scheme aims
at managing the paddy straw in a holistic manner to achieve zero stubble burning.
The number of crop residue management machines distributed to farmers in various
districts of Punjab in the year 2025 is given in Annexure-I.
The overall objective of reducing the burning of paddy straw through the initiatives
under CRM scheme is getting realized as it is evident from the reports published by the
Consortium for Research on Agroecosystem Monitoring and Modelling from Space
(CREAMS) Laboratory, Division of Agricultural Physics, Indian Council of Agricultural
Research (ICAR) – Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi. The paddy
straw burning events between 15th September to 30th November during 2018 in the States
of Punjab were 67079, which have been reduced to 10909 events during 2024 for the same
period, which indicates 83.7 percent reduction in paddy straw burning. During the current
year, the paddy straw burning events between 15 September to 27 November have been
reported as 5106 numbers, which are less by 52.8% as compared to year 2024 for the same
period.Annexure-I
Number of crop residue management machines distributed to farmers in various districts of
Punjab in the year 2025 (as on 25.11.2025)
S.No. Name of the district Number of crop residue
management machines
distributed
1 Amritsar 256
2 Barnala 511
3 Bathinda 436
4 Faridkot 239
5 Fatehgarh Sahib 214
6 Fazilka 731
7 Ferozepur 1159
8 Gurdaspur 464
9 Hoshiarpur 170
10 Jalandhar 1019
11 Kapurthala 461
12 Ludhiana 519
13 Malerkotla 206
14 Mansa 540
15 Moga 366
16 Pathankot 73
17 Patiala 419
18 Ropar 115
19 Sangrur 1042
20 SAS Nagar 178
21 SBS Nagar 95
22 Sri Muktsar Sahib 535
23 Tarn Taran 347
Total 10095
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