Chandigarh, Sep 21 (PTI) Punjab ruling party leader Baltej Pannu on Monday claimed that the BJP-led Centre’s proposed 2026 rules on stubble burning reflected an “anti-farmer approach”, accusing it of preparing to impose financial penalties and strengthen the “red entry” mechanism against farmers.
The proposed framework provides for environmental compensation of Rs 5,000 for farmers with less than two acres of land, Rs 10,000 for those holding two to less than five acres and Rs 30,000 for landholdings above five acres, the AAP leader said.
The draft also proposes a “red entry” against the land record for 15 months, with the possibility of extension in specified circumstances, he claimed in a statement.
A red entry into revenue records bars farmers from getting loans against their farmland or selling it.
The Centre is once again choosing the path of “punishment” instead of partnership with farmers, he said.
“The proposed rules impose penalties running into thousands of rupees and strengthen the red-entry mechanism, putting additional pressure on farmers. A government that claims to work for farmers should be providing solutions, incentives and assured markets for paddy straw instead of threatening them with penalties,” Pannu said.
The Centre should look at the progress already made in Punjab instead of treating the state’s farmers as the problem, he said.
According to official data, Punjab recorded 5,114 farm-fire incidents during the 2025 paddy harvesting season, a 53 per cent reduction from 2024 and a 93 per cent reduction from 2021, the AAP leader said.
“Punjab’s farmer is an aware and progressive farmer. He understands that burning residue damages the environment and soil. The results are already visible. Farm fires have fallen sharply, and the movement towards scientific management of paddy straw is growing stronger every year,” he said.
Pannu said the emergence of companies and industries procuring paddy straw was creating new economic avenues for farmers and helping turn crop residue into a resource.
The Centre’s own crop residue management framework also recognises the importance of ex-situ utilisation through biomass power and biofuel supply chains, he said.
Targeting the BJP governments in neighbouring states, Pannu said, “If the BJP-led Centre is genuinely concerned about stubble burning, it should also ask what is happening in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.” Punjab has already demonstrated a substantial reduction in farm fires; the focus should be on providing practical solutions across all states rather than repeatedly putting the blame on Punjab’s farmers, he said.
Pannu said Punjab would continue working towards complete elimination of stubble burning through scientific residue management, machinery, market linkages and greater utilisation of paddy straw.
Stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana is often blamed for the rise in air pollution in Delhi-NCR. As the window for the Rabi crop — wheat — is very short after paddy harvest in October and November, many farmers set their fields on fire to quickly clear off the crop residue. PTI CHS PRK
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