*• Gurmeet Singh Khudian dedicates this award to every farmer who opted for equipment over fire*
Punjab’s aggressive crop residue management strategy has earned the national recognition as the Punjab has been conferred the SKOCH Silver Award 2025 in the Environment category, said Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian, while crediting Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government’s sustained efforts in crop residue management.
While addressing a press conference here at Punjab Bhawan, S. Khudian informed that Punjab has recorded a 94 per cent reduction in farm fire incidents, plummeting from 83,002 in 2020‑21 to just 5,114 in 2025‑26.
The Agriculture Minister lauded the PPCB and Punjab's farming community, while stating, "This Award is a testament to Punjab's farmers' resilience and our governance's foresight. Under CM Mann's leadership, we've turned a burning crisis into a breakthrough. Our strategy of subsidising machinery, realtime monitoring, setting up custom-hiring centres and allocating record funds has redefined stubble management. I dedicate this award to every farmer who opted for equipment over fire."
Punjab's farmers, FPOs, and panchayats can avail 50-80% subsidy on Crop Residue Management (CRM) machines. The state has allocated ₹600 crore to support purchase of 25,000 CRM machines this year, said S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian.
During 2025‑26, the scheme facilitated the purchase of about 13,000 machines, with ₹427 crore has already been released as subsidy. To ensure last‑mile delivery, the agriculture department is accepting online applications from April 1 to April 24, 2026.
The significant drop in farm fires has boosted soil health and improved air quality, he noted, while stating that Punjab's model shows environmental challenges can be overcome with strong political will, financial backing and community involvement.
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