Haryana has deployed machinery, incentives, drones and enforcement to curb stubble burning. The combined strategy seeks cleaner air, healthier soil and stronger official accountability.
The Haryana government is stepping up efforts to promote crop residue management and protect the environment by providing farmers with agricultural machinery and financial incentives, news agency Press Trust of India reported.
The state has recorded 206 farm fire incidents across 23 districts this season, with crop residue burning confirmed in 89 cases, according to an official statement issued late on Wednesday.
A government spokesperson said 13,200 agricultural machines, including super seeders and balers, had been distributed to farmers this year. The government is providing subsidies of up to 50 per cent on the purchase of these machines.
Farmers adopting crop residue management practices are also being given an incentive of Rs 1,200 per acre. About Rs 500 crore will be disbursed to farmers under the scheme, the spokesperson said.
The administration inspected all 206 locations where fires were reported. In confirmed cases of stubble burning, fines totalling Rs 3.55 lakh were imposed through 62 challans, of which Rs 2.30 lakh has been recovered, Press Trust of India reported.
Authorities have also registered 74 first information reports, or FIRs, while red entries have been made in the revenue records of the fields concerned in 19 cases.
Paddy procurement begins on October 1, while monitoring of farm fires starts a few days earlier and continues until the end of November.
According to district-wise data, no stubble-burning incidents have been reported in Bhiwani, Charkhi Dadri, Gurugram, Mahendragarh, Nuh and Rewari. One fire was reported in Panchkula, but crop residue burning was not confirmed. Six incidents each were reported in Hisar and Hansi.
The government has also sought to fix responsibility among officials to strengthen monitoring. Show-cause notices have been issued to 109 nodal officers for alleged negligence in carrying out their duties.
As part of its technology-based monitoring system, the state has installed 79 sensors in villages identified as hotspots. It is also using 36 drones to continuously monitor various districts. District-level officers have been assigned responsibilities to ensure effective monitoring.