3 min readOct 8, 2025 08:55 AM IST
First published on: Oct 8, 2025 at 08:55 AM IST
Emerging as a national model for sustainable crop residue management, Haryana has recorded a remarkable 95 per cent reduction in paddy stubble burning incidents during the 2025 harvest season, the state government said on Tuesday.
Data from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) confirms only seven incidents of stubble burning were reported as of October 6 compared to 150 in the corresponding period last year, Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi was informed at a high-level review meeting he chaired, a government spokesperson said.
Officials attributed Haryana’s multi-pronged strategy, combining strict enforcement, farmer incentives, widespread use of residue management machinery and inter-departmental coordination, for the sharp decline in the stubble-burning incidents.
“Ensuring on-ground vigilance, the state appointed 9,036 nodal officers, exceeding the required number, tasked with monitoring farmers and reporting stubble-burning incidents on a specially developed mobile app. Each officer oversees 50-100 farmers based on risk category (Red, Yellow, or other zones). So far, action has been taken in three of these seven cases by means of FIRs, challans and red entries in land records,” the spokesperson said.
Notably, two of the fires were not agricultural: one involved garbage in Faridabad and another, industrial waste in Sonipat.
According to the spokesperson, all districts have set up Parali Protection Forces for rapid response, and weekly SMS alerts are being sent to farmers registered on the Meri Fasal Mera Byora portal, warning them of strict action against stubble burning.
Agriculture Minister Shyam Singh Rana, in a statement released on Tuesday, pointed out: “Haryana has made substantial headway in ensuring access to Crop Residue Management (CRM) machinery. Of 14,088 selected machines, 94.74 per cent of procurement is complete, and bills for over 7,700 units have been uploaded for subsidy disbursal. Districts like Faridabad, Jhajjar and Rohtak have achieved over 98 per cent implementation.”
Attending a virtual meeting chaired by union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan with agriculture ministers of the states on Tuesday, Rana said “The state offers Rs 1,200 per acre as an incentive for stubble management and Rs 8,000 per acre for adopting Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR), a method that not only reduces the use of water, but also simplifies residue handling.”
In a forward-looking step, Rana said, Haryana has partnered with Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) to supply crop residue to its ethanol plant in Panipat.
“The plant plans to purchase 200,000 metric tonnes of paddy residue from Panipat and adjoining districts, providing farmers with a profitable alternative to burning while contributing to clean fuel production. To support collection and storage, a gap analysis is underway. Five districts have requested 205 acres of additional panchayat land, with Kurukshetra already making land available. In Ambala, aggregators have arranged land independently,” Rana added.
After the meeting, Rana held a departmental review in Chandigarh and directed officials about “full utilisation of allocated funds and greater farmer outreach”, while emphasising the role of sarpanchs in community-level awareness drives.
According to the spokesperson, all districts have set up Parali Protection Forces for rapid response, and weekly SMS alerts are being sent to farmers registered on the Meri Fasal Mera Byora portal, warning them of strict action against stubble burning. 
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