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Chandigarh, September 1
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Tuesday called for a wider awareness campaign to further reduce paddy straw burning, after the state recorded an 86 percent fall in stubble-burning incidents between 2023 and 2025. The Chief Minister directed officials to take the campaign to villages and blocks, with greater involvement of NGOs, social workers, Panchayats and farmers. He also called for expanded use of social media and stronger systems for managing paddy straw.
Speaking at a meeting on the state’s paddy straw management strategy, Mann said about 30 lakh hectares of paddy had been sown in Punjab this year, expected to generate 18.81 million tonnes of straw.He said stubble-burning incidents had fallen from 36,663 in 2023 to 10,909 in 2024 and 5,114 in 2025.
“We have to take this progress further and ensure that stubble burning incidents are reduced even more this year,” Mann said.
He called for awareness programmes at village and block levels, including machinery demonstrations, street plays, meetings with village heads and pledge-taking activities.
Mann also called for a large-scale multimedia campaign using radio, newspapers, television, SMS, outdoor advertising and social media to highlight the environmental impact of stubble burning and promote alternatives.
The Chief Minister said progressive farmers, better-performing Panchayats, Primary Agricultural Credit Societies and other stakeholders should be recognised for their contribution to reducing crop-residue burning.
He also stressed the need for coordination between government departments and districts and urged officials to promote both in-situ and ex-situ methods of paddy straw management.
The North News
