Centre tells 5 states to fight stubble burning as survey finds farm machines idle
Representative image: HeckiMG / Pixabay
On 13 Oct 2026 the Centre asked MP, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi-NCR to curb stubble burning; up to 48% of older residue machines lie idle.
What Happened
The Centre on Tuesday, 13 October 2026, asked five states and regions, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi-NCR, to work in "mission mode" to stop farmers burning paddy stubble this harvest season. The instruction came out of a high-level inter-ministerial meeting at Krishi Bhawan in New Delhi, chaired jointly by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav. The states were told to hold immediate meetings with district magistrates, repair crop residue machines lying idle, and give farmers practical ways to use straw instead of setting fire to it. The meeting heard that burning has fallen in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh but has risen sharply in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Key Facts
- The Centre has given states more than 3.54 lakh crop residue management machines so far, including 26,109 supplied in the current financial year, 2026-27.
- A central survey found that about 40 per cent of older machines in Punjab and 48 per cent in Haryana were either not working or not being used.
- Between 15 September and 12 October 2026, burning incidents fell about 53.3 per cent in Haryana and about 32 per cent in Uttar Pradesh compared with the same period last year; Punjab also reported a decline.
- Madhya Pradesh recorded 277 cases in the same period against 55 a year earlier, and Rajasthan 60 against 20.
- Chouhan asked states to repair and reactivate old machines, distribute new ones quickly, and spend available funds efficiently.
- States were asked to link stubble collection with bio-CNG plants, pellet and compost units, industries and thermal power plants, and to push crop diversification.
- Yadav called for closer monitoring and enforcement on the ground.
Why It Matters
Stubble burning is usually discussed as an air pollution problem for Delhi, but at its root it is a farm economics problem. After the paddy harvest, farmers in north India have a short window to clear their fields before sowing wheat. Burning the leftover straw is fast and costs almost nothing. Every alternative, from mulching it into the soil to baling it for sale, needs a machine, diesel, labour and time. That is why the condition of the machines matters so much.
The survey finding is the most telling number from the meeting. If roughly two in five older machines in Punjab and nearly half in Haryana are broken or unused, then the subsidy spent on them is not reaching the field when it is needed. Some machines need repair; others may not suit a farmer's plot size, tractor or timing. The minister's instruction to repair old machines, rather than only buy new ones, is an admission that the existing fleet is not working as planned.
The shift in where burning is happening is the second lesson. Haryana's sharp fall shows that enforcement, machines and incentives can change behaviour over a few seasons. But the jump in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan suggests the problem is moving to states that have had less of the support built up in Punjab and Haryana. The Centre's message is that those states cannot wait for a crisis before acting.
For rural businesses, the bigger opportunity is in the straw itself. The ministers pointed to organic manure, bio-CNG, bio-ethanol, electricity generation and cattle fodder as uses. Each of these needs a supply chain: balers, aggregators, storage yards and buyers within trucking distance. Where a compressed biogas plant or a thermal plant buys straw at a fair price, a farmer has a reason not to burn it, and village entrepreneurs who own balers or tractors gain a seasonal business.
| | State | Cases, 15 Sep-12 Oct 2025 | Cases, 15 Sep-12 Oct 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| | Madhya Pradesh | 55 | 277 | |
| | Rajasthan | 20 | 60 | |
Impact
Short-term: District administrations in the five states are expected to step up field checks, repair idle machines and speed up distribution of new ones during the remaining weeks of the paddy harvest, which the meeting described as the run-up to the peak burning season.
Long-term: Lasting progress depends on turning straw into a paid input for bio-energy, compost and fodder businesses, and on crop diversification away from paddy in the worst-affected areas.
Who is affected: Paddy farmers in Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh; custom hiring centres and machine owners; bio-CNG, pellet and compost units; thermal power plants; and residents of north India who breathe the smoke.
Key Takeaway
The Centre wants states to treat stubble burning as an urgent field operation, but its own survey shows that many of the machines meant to solve the problem are sitting idle.
Questions and Answers
Which states has the Centre asked to act on stubble burning?
Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi-NCR were asked on 13 October 2026 to work in mission mode and hold immediate meetings with district magistrates.
Why are crop residue machines not solving the problem?
A central survey found about 40 per cent of older machines in Punjab and 48 per cent in Haryana were not working or not in use, so many farmers still lack a usable alternative to burning at harvest time.
Is stubble burning going up or down?
Between 15 September and 12 October 2026 it fell about 53.3 per cent in Haryana and about 32 per cent in Uttar Pradesh, but cases rose in Madhya Pradesh from 55 to 277 and in Rajasthan from 20 to 60.
What can farmers do with straw instead of burning it?
The ministers pointed to organic manure, bio-CNG, bio-ethanol, electricity generation and cattle fodder, and asked states to link straw collection with plants and industries that will buy it.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
Sourced and fact-checked by the Peepals Global Editorial Team
Reported, fact-checked and published by the Peepals Global Editorial Team.
