New Delhi, June 17 (IANS) The government has made a provision of Rs 544.15 crore under the Crop Residue Management (CRM) scheme for 2026-27, out of which the first instalment of Rs 272.07 crore has already been released, according to Agriculture Ministry.

The CRM scheme was started in 2018-19 to deal with the problem of stubble burning. Since then, a total financial assistance of Rs 4,266.47 crore has been provided to Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).

With this assistance, more than 3.54 lakh crop residue management machines have been distributed in the states and more than 43,500 Custom Hiring Centres have been established, according to Agriculture Ministry.

Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, chaired a high-level inter-ministerial meeting on stubble management and its permanent solution.

It reviewed the progress made under the CRM scheme and the preparedness of states for effective management of paddy stubble during the upcoming harvesting season.

Agriculture Minister said that stubble burning not only pollutes the environment but also affects the health of Mother Earth.

It destroys beneficial insects, reduces soil fertility and has an adverse impact on public health due to pollution. From this point of view, it is extremely necessary to stop it.

Agriculture Minister said that the states have set ambitious targets for the current year, which include distribution of more than 46,000 crop residue management machines, establishment of 910 Custom Hiring Centres and development of 141 stubble supply chain projects.

The meeting also reviewed the action plans prepared by the states for management of an estimated 2.762 crore tonnes of stubble during the paddy harvesting in 2026.

Chouhan said that due to the continuous efforts of the Central Government, state governments, ICAR institutions, Agricultural Science Centres, local bodies and farmers, there has been a significant reduction in stubble burning incidents in the past years.

Both ministers stressed on further strengthening the ex-situ use of stubble through biomass power plants, compressed biogas (CBG) units, ethanol production plants and pellet manufacturing units. They said that such efforts are creating a permanent market for stubble and converting agricultural residue into economic resources.

—IANS

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