Chandigarh, September 1, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Tuesday directed officials to intensify efforts to curb paddy straw burning through a statewide, multi-level awareness campaign, stressing greater involvement of NGOs, social workers, Panchayats and farmers.
Chairing a meeting on the Paddy Straw Management Strategy, Mann said Punjab had achieved an 86 per cent reduction in stubble-burning incidents between 2023 and 2025, but called for further improvement during the current paddy season.
The number of stubble-burning incidents declined from 36,663 in 2023 to 10,909 in 2024 and 5,114 in 2025, according to the figures cited at the meeting.
Mann said around 30 lakh hectares of paddy had been sown in Punjab this year and the crop was expected to generate approximately 18.81 million tonnes of paddy straw. He directed officials to take the awareness campaign to the village and block levels and ensure that farmers were informed about the environmental hazards of burning crop residue as well as sustainable alternatives.
He called for the active participation of NGOs and social workers and suggested extensive use of machinery demonstrations, nukkad nataks, meetings with Sarpanches, pledge-taking programmes and other grassroots activities.
The Chief Minister also sought a comprehensive multimedia campaign involving radio jingles, print and television advertisements, mobile SMS and outdoor publicity. He called for large-scale social media outreach to spread awareness about the harmful effects of stubble burning and available straw-management options.
Mann said progressive farmers, best-performing Panchayats, Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) and other stakeholders should be felicitated for their contribution. He also stressed coordination among departments, districts and other stakeholders for effective implementation of the strategy.
Emphasising practical alternatives for farmers, the Chief Minister directed that both ex-situ and in-situ paddy straw management be encouraged so that farmers could benefit while protecting the environment.
Cabinet Ministers Gurmeet Singh Khudian and Hardeep Singh Mundian, Chief Secretary KAP Sinha, Secretary Science and Technology KK Yadav, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Dr. Ravi Bhagat, Secretary Agriculture Arshdeep Singh Thind and other senior officials attended the meeting.
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