Archive · 20 Sep 2026
Bhagwant Mann Defends Punjab Farmers Ahead of Smog Season
After farmers harvest rice, some burn the leftover straw to quickly prepare fields for wheat.
This smoke can add to winter air pollution in northern India.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said farmers should not be treated like criminals for doing this.
He said the government should help farmers pay for better ways to manage the straw.
Farmers are asking for Rs 3,000 for every acre they manage without burning.
Mann also said smoke from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh adds to the pollution.
He criticized claims that Punjab alone is responsible for smoke reaching Lahore and Delhi-NCR.
Farmer groups want any existing cases against farmers to be withdrawn.
Punjab has reported fewer stubble fires, but the issue remains politically contentious.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann opposed registering cases against farmers who burn paddy residue, while urging them to avoid burning where possible.
Mann backed farmers’ demand for a Rs 3,000-per-acre cash incentive to manage paddy stubble.
He said emissions from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh also contribute to pollution affecting Delhi-NCR and Lahore.
Punjab recorded an 86 per cent reduction in stubble-fire incidents from 2023 to 2025, according to the report.
Farmer leaders called for existing stubble-burning FIRs to be cancelled and for stronger financial support beyond machinery subsidies.
- Who
- Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Punjab farmers, farmer-union leaders, and the governments of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and the Centre.
- What
- Mann defended farmers against stubble-burning cases, supported a cash incentive for residue management, and disputed claims that Punjab alone causes regional pollution.
- When
- Mann made the remarks on Friday, ahead of the post-harvest and winter smog season; assembly elections are due in Punjab in six months, according to farmer-union leaders.
- Where
- At a Kisan Mela at Punjab Agricultural University in Ludhiana, Punjab; the pollution issue involves Delhi-NCR and Lahore.
- Why
- Farmers burn paddy residue to quickly clear fields for the short wheat-sowing window, while Mann argues that financial assistance would help them manage the residue without burning it.
Mann and Farmer Groups
Enforcement and Pollution Concerns
Cases against farmers
Mann and Farmer Groups
Mann said he does not want farmers to face FIRs, and farmer groups urged the government to cancel cases already registered for stubble burning.
Enforcement and Pollution Concerns
Existing rules allow cases and environmental compensation against stubble burners, with revenue-record penalties that can affect loans and land sales.
How to reduce burning
Mann and Farmer Groups
Mann and farmer leaders support a Rs 3,000-per-acre cash incentive, saying current machinery subsidies and awareness campaigns are insufficient.
Enforcement and Pollution Concerns
The state already provides subsidized residue-management machinery and conducts village- and block-level awareness campaigns; the articles do not report a government commitment to the requested cash payment.
Responsibility for regional smoke
Mann and Farmer Groups
Mann said emissions from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh also contribute to pollution affecting Delhi-NCR and Lahore, arguing that Punjab is being defamed when blamed alone.
Enforcement and Pollution Concerns
Punjab and, to some extent, Haryana are often blamed for Delhi-NCR’s winter smog because farmers burn paddy residue after the harvest.
- Proposed incentive
- Farmers are seeking Rs 3,000 per acre for managing paddy stubble; Mann backed the demand in principle.
- Reported reduction
- Punjab saw an 86 per cent reduction in stubble-fire incidents from 2023 to 2025.
- Current enforcement
- Stubble-burning cases are filed under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
- Possible penalties
- Convicted farmers can face environmental compensation fines and a red entry in revenue records.
- Potential consequences
- A red entry can prevent farmers from obtaining loans or selling farmland.
- Existing support
- The Punjab government runs awareness campaigns and provides residue-management machinery on subsidy.
- Political context
- Farmer-union leaders linked Mann’s comments to Punjab’s assembly elections, due in six months.