Punjab budget provides Rs 60 crore subsidy for paddy straw based boilers

28-Mar-2025 08:18 PM

Chandigarh. Punjab Finance Minister has announced a subsidy of Rs 60 crore for the paddy straw based boiler manufacturing industry, aimed at curbing stubble burning and promoting sustainability of farming.

This time in the Punjab budget, Rs 500 crore has been allocated for crop residue management and water supply efforts.

Presenting the budget for the financial year 2025-26 in the Assembly on March 26, the Finance Minister of Punjab said that burning of stubble in the fields is a matter of national concern and the Punjab government is committed to overcome it.

Efforts are on to actively seek and implement eco-friendly options to solve this problem so that on one hand the protection of the environment can be ensured and on the other hand the prosperity of the farmers is also maintained.

According to the Finance Minister, a provision of Rs. 60 crore capital subsidy has been made to provide financial support to the industry transitioning to paddy straw based boilers, which is expected to make good use of about 30 lakh tons of straw per year. This will benefit the farmers and protect the environment from damage.

It is worth mentioning that Punjab is the state that contributes the most paddy-rice to the central pool.

But there the farmers are often forced to burn the straw in the fields because they do not have any effective alternative.

Burning of paddy straw in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh pollutes the atmosphere of Delhi. Now concrete steps are being taken to stop this.