New Delhi, March 16 Punjab and Haryana have collectively recorded a reduction of more than 90 per cent in the number of fire incidents during the paddy-harvesting season in 2025, compared to the same period in 2022, the government informed Parliament on Monday.
The information was shared by Union Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh in a written response to a question in the Lok Sabha.
"Crop residue burning has been identified as one of the significant factors in north India which aggravates the Air Quality Index in the region during the winter season after the harvest of the preceding crop for sowing the next crop," Singh said.
He informed the House that active fire events due to crop-residue burning are monitored using satellite remote sensing, following the "Standard Protocol for Estimation of Crop Residue Burning Fire Events using Satellite Data by Consortium for Research on Agroecosystem Monitoring and Modelling from Space (CREAMS) Laboratory, Division of Agricultural Physics, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) -- Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi".
"The government has regularly reviewed and monitored the actions taken to address air pollution, including stubble burning related issues, in the Delhi-NCR and adjoining areas. With coordinated efforts, the states of Punjab and Haryana have collectively recorded more than 90 per cent reduction in fire incidents during the paddy harvesting season in 2025, compared to the same period in 2022," the minister said.
"Farmers are provided with alternative measures such as in-situ crop residue management and ex-situ utilization of paddy straw in various applications. In-situ crop residue management includes in-situ mulching, incorporation of the paddy residue in the field itself through efficient and affordable mechanized means or crop residue management machinery," he added.