Centre Allocates Rs 544 Crore for Stubble Management

New Delhi, Jun 17 (KNN) The Centre has allocated Rs 544.15 crore for crop residue management during 2026-27 and set targets for distributing more than 46,000 stubble management machines.

It has further decided to establish 910 Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs) and develop 141 stubble supply chain projects as part of efforts to curb stubble burning.

The plans were reviewed at a high-level inter-ministerial meeting on stubble management chaired by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav in New Delhi.

According to the government, states have prepared action plans for managing an estimated 2.762 crore tonnes of paddy stubble during the 2026 harvesting season. Of the total allocation, the first instalment of Rs 272.07 crore has already been released.

The meeting reviewed progress under the Crop Residue Management (CRM) Scheme, under which Rs 4,266.47 crore has been provided since 2018-19 to Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. 

The support has enabled distribution of more than 3.54 lakh crop residue management machines and establishment of over 43,500 Custom Hiring Centres.

The ministers stressed expanding the ex-situ use of stubble through biomass power plants, compressed biogas (CBG) facilities, ethanol production units and pellet manufacturing plants to create sustainable markets for agricultural residue and generate additional income opportunities for farmers.

To strengthen monitoring, the government plans to activate a 'Stubble Protection Force' across 70 tehsils in 14 districts of the National Capital Region (NCR) to help further reduce stubble-burning incidents through active surveillance and enforcement.

The Centre has also directed states to complete machine distribution before August 2026, maximise utilisation of existing machinery and intensify farmer awareness campaigns. 

Special emphasis was placed on promoting short-duration paddy varieties, Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) cultivation and continuous crop monitoring to increase the gap between paddy harvesting and wheat sowing.

The Central Pollution Control Board has been asked to assess available stubble stocks and utilisation capacity across pellet and briquette units, CBG plants and thermal power stations.

The meeting was attended by officials from the Agriculture Ministry, Environment Ministry, ICAR and other concerned agencies.

(KNN Bureau)