Stubble Burning

Punjab and Haryana have imposed fines exceeding Rs 2.1 crore and Rs 21 lakh respectively, on farmers for stubble burning in 2024, with more than 50 per cent of penalties collected

Stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana is among the main reasons for air pollution in Delhi-NCR and several steps are being taken to encourage farmers to use paddy residue for animal feed and industrial purposes, a top Union environment ministry official told parliamentarians on Wednesday. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Secretary Leena Nandan, while making a presentation on air pollution in Delhi-NCR before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment, Forests and Climate Change, also took suggestions from the MPs to reduce air and water pollution. Sources said she told the MPs that the government was trying to promote the use of Basmati rice, whose residue is used for animal feed, besides using the paddy straw for industrial purposes. She also listed vehicular emission as another reason for air pollution and said the government was making efforts to promote e-vehicles in the national capital. Construction activity in the national .

: The National Green Tribunal has been informed through a report that Punjab's stubble burning incidents have decreased by 70 per cent. The NGT previously sought regular reports from the authorities in the state on the issue of air pollution caused in the NCR owing to stubble burning. A report dated November 26 was filed by the director of agriculture and farmers' welfare department, saying "As a result of the efforts made by the state of Punjab, the number of paddy stubble burning incidents reduced from 36,551 on November 25, 2023, to 10,479 on November 25, 2024 -- a decrease of 70 per cent." The report stated about 19.52 million tonne of paddy straw was expected to be managed in the year through various means, including in-situ (managing paddy straw on the field) and ex-situ (transporting the straw for various uses) methods and using the residue for animal fodder. "In ex-situ management, primarily balers are used for collection of straw before transportation for industrial and ot

After Punjab, Haryana received Rs 1,081.71 crore, Uttar Pradesh was allocated Rs 763.67 crore, the NCT of Delhi Rs 6.05 crore, and ICAR Rs 83.35 crore from the total Rs 3,623.45 crore

The Centre on Friday opposed in the Supreme court a proposal to form a committee of former apex court judges to oversee the implementation of measures to curb stubble burning, a key contributor to Delhi-NCR's air pollution. The suggestion was put forth before a bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih, hearing a case related to the rising pollution in Delhi-NCR, by senior advocate and amicus curiae Aparajita Singh. She sought to leverage the expertise of judges as part of the proposed fact-finding committee. The amicus said the judges had previously dealt with air pollution and stubble burning issues. A bench headed by former Supreme Court's Justice Madan B Lokur had heard pleas related to pollution and the role of stubble burning as a contributing factor in the past. In 2020, a bench headed by the then CJI Justice S A Bobde set up a panel headed by Justice Lokur to deal with the issues relating to stubble burning. The order was later recalled. On Friday, the amic

The Madhya Pradesh High Court Bar Association has decided that none of its member lawyers will fight the cases of farmers related to stubble burning citing environmental reasons. An official of the association said stubble burning not only creates pollution, but also causes the deaths of living organisms. President of the association advocate D K Jain said that in its executive committee meeting, discussion was held and concerns were expressed about the dangers posed to public life due to incidents of stubble burning across the country. People are suffering from many diseases due to stubble burning. At present, the practice of burning stubble is increasing in the country, he said. Jain said that in the interest of the country, supporting the ban on stubble burning, it has been decided that the advocates associated with the association will not appear for the accused farmers in the stubble burning cases. According to news reports, Madhya Pradesh ranks first in the country in ...

According to ICAR scientists, stubble burning leads to the complete loss of nitrogen, while phosphorus is only slightly recoverable

Despite reports of declining farm fires in Punjab, many now occur later in the day, possibly evading satellite detection

In Delhi, all reported cases were concentrated in the North and North West districts. Delhi's air quality remained in the 'severe' category on Monday, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 494

A research by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air reveals that thermal power plants in the national capital region release 16 times more air pollutants than stubble burning

Farm fire cases reached the 8,000 mark in Punjab this season with the state reporting 136 such incidents on Saturday, data showed. Sangrur district reported 50 stubble-burning incidents during the day, the highest maximum in the state, followed by 30 in Ferozepur, 17 in Barnala and 12 in Patiala, according to the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre. On the same day in 2022 and 2023, the state saw 1,358 and 1,271 active farm fire events respectively. From September 15 to November 16, Punjab has seen a total of 8,000 stubble-burning incidents, registering around 75 per cent dip in crop residue burning in comparison to such cases in the corresponding period last year. Punjab had seen a total of 46,822 and 31,932 farm fires during the same period in 2022 and 2023, respectively. The state has seen an addition of around 4,000 farm fire incidents since November 3 this season. Stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana after harvesting of the paddy crop in October and November is often blamed for th

Punjab farmers have found a way to outwit Nasa satellite surveillance in the ongoing stubble-burning crisis by strategically timing their fires

The notice sought an explanation from the officials as to why stubble-burning cases were on the rise and why the CAQM's orders to reduce air pollution had not been adhered to

The rules apply to the National Capital Territory of Delhi, Punjab and Haryana, and the National Capital Region areas of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh

These changes reflect the amendment to the rules governing the imposition of environmental compensation for stubble burning under the Commission for Air Quality Management

The stricter penalties come in the wake of sharp criticism from the Supreme Court, which had previously termed the earlier penalties 'toothless'

Both states, long seen as major contributors, have brought down incidents of stubble burning, a long-term solution will remain out of reach so long as state-support for paddy lifting remains in place

Punjab recorded 379 farm fires on Saturday, with Sangrur district witnessing the highest number of 66 such incidents, taking the total case count in the state past 3,900. The state registered the current season's biggest spike in farm fires on Friday with 587 cases. Sangrur had reported the highest number of 79 cases. From September 15 to November 2, the state has seen 3,916 farm-fire cases, according to data from the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre. Ferozepur district reported 50 farm fires on Saturday, Tarn Taran 42, Amritsar 27, Bathinda 28, Moga 26, Patiala 21 and Kapurthala and Ludhiana 15 each. The districts with farm-fire cases in single digits included Fazilka (one), Rupnagar (two), Hoshiarpur (two), Faridkot (six), Jalandhar (eight), Malerkotla (five), Barnala (six) and SBS Nagar (three). Punjab reported 484 farm fires on Thursday, with Sangrur recording the highest number of 89 cases. There has been a steep jump in the number of farm fires over the last few days. The stat

Besides Mann, the meeting was also attended by the Secretary (Fertilizers), Chief Secretary of Punjab, and Additional Chief Secretary (Punjab)