Chandigarh, Jul 11 (PTI) The Punjab government will provide more than 22,000 crop residue management machines to the state’s farmers to manage paddy straw, Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian said on Thursday.
He asked the officials concerned to ensure that the draw of lots for the subsidised CRM machines should be held this month and the subsidy must be released to the beneficiary farmers by the end of August.
To check stubble burning, the state government has prepared a Rs 500 crore action plan. CRM machines will be provided on subsidy to farmers during the paddy harvest season 2024-25, the minister said.
“Individual farmers can avail 50 per cent subsidy on these machines, while 80 per cent subsidy is for cooperative societies and panchayats”, he added.
Lauding the farmers for responding positively to the direct seeded rice (DSR) technique, Khuddian said the state has seen a 28 per cent surge in the area under this “water conserving” technique as compared to last year.
About 2.20 lakh acres have already been sown under the DSR technique as against 1.72 lakh acres last year.
Punjab has set a target to bring 5 lakh acres of land under the DSR technique. The state government gives Rs 1,500 per acre as financial assistance to encourage farmers to opt for DSR. PTI CHS RHL
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