According to sources, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) governments in Punjab and Delhi are considering a scheme that would pay Punjabi farmers Rs. 2,500 per acre as an incentive if they avoid burning crop residue during the upcoming Kharif harvest season. The action is intended to tackle paddy stubble fires, which are a significant cause of the severe air pollution in National Capital Region before the arrival of winter.
According to information obtained by HT, the Delhi AAP government has agreed to share a part of the cost for the scheme, which may also require a significant contribution from the Union government. Punjab chief secretary VK Janjua confirmed that the proposal is being fine-tuned. The scheme involves an expenditure of ₹1,875 crores. According to officials, The Punjab and Delhi governments may contribute ₹375 crores each, and the two governments are hoping that the Centre will contribute the remaining ₹1,125 crores.
"The proposal will soon be delivered to the finance department and then forwarded to the Delhi government. A senior officer in the agricultural department spoke on condition of anonymity: "We are also writing to the Centre to release funding for its share of promised incentives”.
To discourage stubble burning in 2019, the state's former Congress governments asked the Centre for incentives of 100 rupees per quintal. Punjab’s farm unions have also demanded a direct cash incentive in place of a subsidy for equipment for managing paddy straw in situ. The funds, however, did not come through.
The AAP administrations in Chandigarh and Delhi would still move forward with their plan and offer at least 1,000 acres to farmers if the Centre doesn’t accept our demand for its part in the cash hand-out scheme, according to a senior bureaucrat in Chandigarh with knowledge of the situation.
A spokesperson for the Delhi government on Tuesday refused to comment when asked about the scheme.
In Punjab, paddy is sown on around 29-30 lakh hectares (70-72 lakh acres) during the Kharif season. The incentives programme will be available to all farmers who stop burning paddy residue, according to the proposal.
Every year, the state produces over 185 lakh tonnes of paddy crop waste. Of this, 49% is controlled using in-situ (soil mixing) and ex-situ (used as fuel) techniques, while the remaining 12% is set on fire.
After the paddy harvest, the window for rabi (wheat) sowing is very short. The farmers prefer to burn the stubble as it is the cheapest method to get their fields ready for the next sowing.
