The stubble-burning problem
Punjab grows about 30-32 lakh ha of paddy each Kharif and generates roughly 19-20 million tonnes of paddy straw, most of it residual from combine-harvested fields. Burning this stubble in October-November (to clear fields for wheat sowing) is the single largest contributor to North India's winter PM2.5 pollution and damages soil micro-biology. The Punjab Stubble Management programme, launched 2018 and refreshed annually, combines a cash incentive to non-burners with deep machinery subsidy.
Cash incentive
₹2,500/acre DBT to farmers certified as non-burners. Certification uses satellite fire-data (NRSC/SAFAR) combined with GPS field verification.
CRM machinery subsidy
- Individual purchase: 50 % subsidy.
- Custom Hiring Centre (CHC) / cooperative: 80 % subsidy.
Eligible equipment:
- Happy Seeder — sows wheat through standing stubble.
- Super Seeder — chops, incorporates, sows in single pass.
- Paddy Straw Choppers, Mulchers, Rotary Slashers.
- Reversible MB Plough — deep incorporation.
- Zero-Till Seed Drill — wheat sowing without tillage.
- Smart Seeder.
How to apply — step by step
- Register on agrimachinerypb.com with Aadhaar OTP, Jamabandi land record, bank account (Aadhaar-seeded).
- For cash incentive — submit self-declaration of non-burning before the burning window. Satellite fire-data (NRSC/SAFAR) plus GPS field verification is used to certify.
- For machinery subsidy — select empanelled vendor and equipment from the portal catalogue (Happy Seeder, Super Seeder, Mulcher, Reversible MB Plough, Zero-Till Seed Drill, Smart Seeder).
- Pay beneficiary share (50 % individual / 20 % CHC); vendor delivers and commissioning is verified by District Agriculture Officer.
- For CHC route, FPO/SHG/cooperative applies as the CHC entity; 80 % subsidy released on commissioning.
- Subsidy + cash-incentive DBT credited within 60 days of verification.
Latest changes (2024 — 2026)
- 2024 kharif: ₹2,500/acre cash incentive continued; CRM machinery list expanded with Smart Seeder.
- October 2024: PM-PRANAM convergence highlighted — Punjab's fertiliser consumption reduction theoretically eligible for PM-PRANAM grant (operationally pending).
- March 2025: agrimachinerypb.com portal upgraded with AgriStack Farmer ID integration; Jamabandi auto-validation.
- August 2025: Convergence with SMAM CRM sub-mission at 50 — 80 % subsidy levels ratified; ex-situ utilisation (biomass-to-power) added.
- 2025-26: Satellite-fire verification methodology enhanced; reduced false positives.
Common rejection reasons
- Satellite fire detection in own field: farmer detected burning on NRSC/SAFAR overlay loses cash incentive.
- Jamabandi mismatch: land record differing from Aadhaar; remediate at the Patwari.
- Vendor not empanelled: only state- empanelled vendors qualify for machinery subsidy.
- CHC governance lapse: CHCs failing usage-audit lose 80 % subsidy in subsequent years.
- Aadhaar — bank seeding failure: DBT credit fails on NPCI side.
- Equipment cost above benchmark: quotations exceeding state cost matrix are reduced.
Grievance: Block Agriculture Officer → District Agriculture Officer → Punjab State Council for Science & Technology (PSCST) for satellite-fire disputes → Punjab Agriculture Department Director.
Coverage statistics
Per Punjab Agriculture Department data, the CRM machinery base has crossed 1.4 lakh+ units across individual farmers and CHCs. Cash-incentive DBT payouts run to hundreds of crore rupees per year depending on satellite-verified non-burner counts. Stubble-burning fire counts (per PSCST/NRSC SAFAR) have shown year-on-year reduction in Punjab from the 2019-20 baseline. Exact figures for FY 2024-25 and FY 2025-26 are in state Vidhan Sabha replies and CPCB compendia.
How Punjab CRM stacks with other schemes
Punjab CRM is the state-tier; the central SMAM CRM sub-mission funds the same machinery at 50 — 80 % subsidy. Haryana MPMV is the sister sub-policy in the neighbouring state. PM-PRANAM theoretically links to Punjab's fertiliser-use reduction; operational disbursement pending. KCC- MISS finances inputs; PMFBY covers crop insurance. AIF and AHIDF finance post-harvest and livestock infrastructure. Convergence with NMNF/PKVY adds natural/organic farming layer; Krishi Sakhi paraextension complements at field level.
Related
- SMAM (national farm-mechanization umbrella).
- Haryana Mera Pani Meri Virasat (DSR-incentive sister scheme).