Question : Problem of Stubble Burning

(a) whether the Government has rolled out anyscheme or proposes to implement any scheme to provide stubble destroying machines to the farmers atlow/subsidised prices in the country to save people from poisonous smoke being emitted from stubble burning;
(b) if so, the details thereof along with numberfarmers befitted/likely to be benefitted by the said move and if not, the reasons therefor;
(c) the details regarding the efforts being made bythe Government to stop the stubble burning by farmers;
(d) the status of researches being done to manage stubble without burning it; and
(e) whether the Government is implementing these researches on actual fields and if so, the details regarding the outcomes thereof?

MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
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(a) to (c): To support the efforts of the Governments of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and NCT of Delhi to address air pollution and to subsidize machinery required for management of crop residue, a Central Sector Scheme on ‘Promotion of Agricultural Mechanization for In-Situ Management of Crop Residue in the States of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and NCT of Delhi’ is implemented from 2018-19. Under this scheme financial assistance @ 50% of the cost of machinery is provided to the farmers for purchase of identified crop residue management machinery and financial assistance @ 80% of the project cost is provided to the Cooperative Societies of Farmers, Farmers Producers Organization (FPOs), Registered Farmers Societies and Panchayats for establishment of Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs) of identified crop residue management machinery. During the period from 2018-19 to 2021-22, funds amounting to Rs. 2440.07 crores have been released for these States and more than 39000 Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs) have been established and more than 2.10 lakh crop residue management machines have been supplied to these CHCs and individual farmers of these four States.

(d) & (e): The Indian Council of Agricultural Research has developed Pusa Decomposer, a microbial consortium of fungal species (both in liquid and capsule forms) for rapid decomposition of paddy straw. Use of this consortium accelerates process of paddy straw decomposition in the field itself and in the year 2021, the decomposerhas been used by the States of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and NCT of Delhi in an around 3.60 lakh hectare area.