In a rare moment of environmental optimism for the NCR, the Haryana government has reported a major success in its campaign against stubble burning, citing a historic low in farm fire counts this November.
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Incentivizing Change: The Parali Protsahan Yojana proved to be the turning point. By providing a direct financial incentive of ₹1,000 per acre and an additional ₹7,000 per metric tonne for stubble collected for industrial use (biomass plants), the government turned “waste” into a “commodity.”
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Farmer as a Partner: Agriculture Minister Shyam Singh Rana stated, “We moved from a policy of penalties to a policy of partnerships. Our farmers realized that managing residue is not just good for the environment but also for their soil health and their pockets.”
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Industrial Synergy: The government noted that over 50 biomass power plants and compressed biogas (CBG) units in the state actively procured stubble this year. This created a demand-supply chain where farmers were paid to have their fields cleared by machines instead of burning them.
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Technological Edge: The distribution of Happy Seeders and Super-Seeders at an 80% subsidy to Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs) ensured that even small-scale farmers had access to the tools needed for non-burning sowing.
Community Sentiment
“Initially, we were skeptical about the payment, but once the money started hitting bank accounts via DBT for the 2024 season, more people in our village signed up this year. It’s much better than running from the police and fire brigade. Now, we just call the local cooperative, they clear the field, and we get the incentive,” said a farmer from Kurukshetra.
