As the National Capital Region (NCR) continues to battle toxic air, Haryana has emerged as a regional model for crop residue management, significantly outperforming neighboring Punjab in reducing farm fires.
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The Data Gap: Between September 15 and November 6, 2025, Haryana reported only 171 fire incidents, down from 888 in the same period last year. Meanwhile, Punjab recorded 3,284 incidents, nearly 19 times higher than Haryana’s count. The Minister noted that Haryana’s proactive approach has successfully prevented the “episodic deterioration” of air quality typically seen during this window.
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Subsidy-Led Success: The Minister highlighted that 7,781 machines worth ₹94 crore were sanctioned this year alone under the CRM scheme. Individual farmers receive a 50% subsidy, while Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs) and Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) benefit from an 80% subsidy. This has led to the deployment of over 1 lakh CRM machines across the state’s paddy belts.
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Financial Incentives: Beyond machinery, the state provides a direct incentive of ₹1,200 per acre for non-burning. Additionally, a budget of ₹471 crore supports alternative practices like Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR), which reduces both water consumption and stubble volume.
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Strict Vigilance: To complement the support, the state has deployed 10,028 nodal officers and uses real-time satellite monitoring (HARSAC). As of today, “red entries” have been made in 87 farm records, and environmental compensation worth ₹4.60 lakh has been levied to ensure compliance.
Community Sentiment
“The machines are expensive, but the 80% subsidy for our village cooperative made it possible for us to stop burning. We get the incentive money on time, and the soil quality for the next wheat crop is much better. Punjab farmers are still struggling because the machinery hasn’t reached every village there yet,” said a farmer from a ‘Green Zone’ village in Karnal.
