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Punjab Stubble Fires Decline as 2027 Politics Intensifies
After harvesting rice, Punjab farmers are left with straw in their fields.
Many farmers burn the straw because they have little time to plant the next crop and other methods can be expensive.
Burning creates smoke and can worsen breathing problems and road visibility.
The number of reported farm fires has fallen sharply since 2023.
The government uses satellites, fines, police cases and farm machines to discourage burning.
Farmer groups say farmers need financial help instead of punishment.
Punjab’s government wants farmers to receive money for not burning the straw, but the Union government prefers supporting machines.
The disagreement may become an important issue before Punjab votes in 2027.
Different political parties also blame one another for the continuing pollution problem.
Punjab recorded 36,663 farm fires in 2023, 10,909 in 2024 and 5,114 in 2025.
The reported decline has been linked to satellite monitoring, enforcement and greater use of residue-management machinery.
Farmer unions say tight sowing deadlines, rising input costs and expensive machinery make burning economically difficult to avoid.
Punjab has sought a direct payment of Rs 2,500 per acre, but the Union government has rejected the proposal.
The stubble issue is expected to become a political flashpoint before Punjab’s 2027 assembly election.
- Who
- Punjab farmers, farmer unions, the Punjab government, the Union government and political parties including the Aam Aadmi Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party.
- What
- A political and policy dispute is continuing over paddy-stubble burning, enforcement, farmer compensation and air pollution.
- Where
- Punjab, with smoke and pollution also discussed in relation to Delhi and neighboring Haryana.
- When
- Farm fires are concentrated in the six to eight weeks after the paddy harvest; monitoring for 2026 began on 15 September, ahead of Punjab’s 2027 election.
- Why
- Farmers face a short sowing window and high costs for fuel, labor and residue-management equipment, while authorities seek to reduce pollution and respiratory risks.
Farmer Unions and Punjab Government
Union Government and BJP
Cash payments or machinery support
Farmer Unions and Punjab Government
Farmer unions and Punjab’s government argue that farmers need direct compensation, including a proposed Rs 2,500 per acre, because machinery, fuel and other residue-management costs are burdensome.
Union Government and BJP
The Union government says its budget prioritizes subsidizing residue-management machinery rather than direct cash payouts, citing more than Rs 1,680 crore already released to Punjab.
Punishment and enforcement
Farmer Unions and Punjab Government
Farmer unions oppose police cases, fines and land-record red entries, arguing that penalties make farmers bear the cost of producing cleaner air for cities.
Union Government and BJP
Supporters of stronger enforcement point to satellite monitoring, penalties and machinery adoption as factors behind the substantial decline in reported farm fires.
Responsibility for pollution
Farmer Unions and Punjab Government
The Aam Aadmi Party and Punjab’s government have emphasized falling fire counts and blamed the Union government for rejecting compensation, while Bhagwant Singh Mann has questioned criminal cases against farmers.
Union Government and BJP
The Bharatiya Janata Party says Punjab’s government failed to implement available funding effectively and argues that the state should improve ground-level support rather than seek additional central cash.
Key facts
- Farm fires in 2023
- 36,663 incidents
- Farm fires in 2024
- 10,909 incidents, described as the sharpest annual decline
- Farm fires in 2025
- 5,114 incidents
- Reported decline
- An 86% drop from 2023 to 2025 and a 92.83% decline between 2021 and 2025
- Punjab compensation proposal
- Rs 2,500 per acre, with Rs 1,500 proposed from the Union government and Rs 1,000 jointly from state governments
- Central machinery support
- More than Rs 1,680 crore released to Punjab for 1.46 lakh in-situ machines
- Past police cases
- Farmer groups have demanded the withdrawal of 1,963 cases registered against farmers
Quotes
Bhagwant Singh Mann
Punjab politician and chief minister, quoted from his 2019 Lok Sabha remarks
“do not scapegoat farmers; they grow paddy because it has MSP. Diversify the crop and the fire problem eases.”
NDTV
“why the capital's AQI stayed hazardous when Punjab fires had fallen”
NDTV
Sources
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