CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Tuesday called for a massive, multi-level information and awareness campaign to further check paddy straw burning in the state, as Punjab’s sustained government-led efforts have already delivered an 86% decline in such incidents from 2023 to 2025.
Chairing a meeting on the Paddy Straw Management Strategy, the CM Bhagwant Singh Mann stated that around 30 lakh hectares of paddy has been sown in Punjab this year, which is expected to generate 18.81 million tonnes of paddy straw.
He said NGOs and social workers should be actively involved in the campaign to strengthen efforts to motivate farmers. “NGOs and social workers should be roped into motivating farmers. Machinery demonstrations, Nukkad Nataqs, meetings with Sarpanches, pledge-taking activities and other awareness programmes must be organised extensively so that the message reaches farmers at the grassroots level,” he said.
The Chief Minister also underlined the importance of both ex-situ and in-situ management of paddy straw. “Ex-situ and in-situ management of paddy straw should be encouraged so that farmers can benefit in a big way while the environment is also protected. Our objective should be to provide farmers with practical and sustainable alternatives to stubble burning,” he said.
