Punjab Stubble Burning Down Nearly 95% Since 2020, Claims AAP Minister Aman Arora; Challenges BJP Over Delhi Air Pollution

Sangrur, Nov 10: Punjab AAP president and Cabinet Minister Aman Arora on Tuesday challenged the BJP to explain how the state's stubble smoke could reach Delhi, even as he claimed the state achieved nearly a 95 per cent reduction in stubble-burning incidents this year.

Arora pointed out that stubble smoke contributed just 5 per cent to Delhi's PM2.5 pollution on Monday.

He said farmers cooperated with the Bhagwant Mann government's sustained efforts, backed by over 1.62 lakh crop residue management machines.

Arora demanded an unconditional apology from the BJP for "maligning" Punjab's farmers instead of addressing the real sources of Delhi's pollution.

The minister detailed the state government's extensive crop residue management initiatives and sought an immediate enhancement of the Centre-approved Cash Credit Limit (CCL) for uninterrupted paddy procurement.

Citing data from the CREAMS laboratory of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Arora said Punjab recorded 83,002 stubble-burning incidents in 2020, which declined to 5,114 in 2025.

The number has fallen to 4,657 so far this season, indicating a nearly 95 per cent reduction compared to 2020.

"This remarkable reduction has been achieved because Punjab's farmers have cooperated wholeheartedly and the Bhagwant Mann government has provided them with practical alternatives and necessary resources," he noted.

The AAP Punjab president asserted, "Instead of recognising these efforts, the BJP is deliberately running a campaign to defame the very farmers who have made such a significant contribution towards reducing stubble-burning."

Referring to data from SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research) and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Arora said stubble smoke accounted for 7.8 per cent of Delhi's PM2.5 pollution on November 8, the day of Diwali, before falling to just 5 per cent on November 9.

He added that its average contribution over the season remained between 4 per cent and 5 per cent when the two days were excluded.

"Research by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water, studies by Kulkarni and co-authors, and reports from the Decision Support System clearly underline the significant contribution of local sources to Delhi's pollution. The BJP must explain why it is deliberately ignoring this scientific evidence and attempting to make Punjab's farmers the scapegoats for Delhi's pollution crisis," Arora said.

Highlighting the state government's comprehensive efforts to eliminate stubble-burning, Arora said that more than 1.62 lakh crop residue management machines had been provided at subsidised rates to farmers, panchayats, farmer producer organisations, and custom hiring centres since 2022. Of these, 25,917 machines had been provided this year alone.

AAP government is working towards the scientific management of approximately 1.14 crore tonnes of stubble in the fields and 78 lakh tonnes outside the fields, he said.

"We are not merely asking farmers to stop burning crop residue; we are providing them with the machinery, infrastructure and viable alternatives required to manage it scientifically," he said.

Arora said the remarks of BJP leaders Kapil Mishra and Manjinder Singh Sirsa against Punjab's farmers are baseless. He also challenged Punjab BJP leaders Sunil Jakhar and Kewal Singh Dhillon to publicly clarify their position.

"Why is the BJP targeting Punjab's farmers through drone surveillance when farm fires are already being monitored through satellite technology? Is the objective to find scientific solutions or to intimidate farmers? Punjab's farmers have made tremendous efforts to reduce stubble-burning, and instead of appreciating their contribution, BJP leaders are insulting them. The BJP must issue an unconditional apology to Punjab and its farmers," he demanded.

Sharing details of the initiatives undertaken through the Punjab Energy Development Agency, Arora said 83 stubble-fired industrial boilers were operational, while another 16 were being installed.

"Similarly, 78 stubble pellet projects are operational, with another 69 at different stages of development. Eleven biomass power plants and nine compressed biogas (CBG) plants are also operational, while Letters of Intent have been issued for another 44 CBG projects," he added.

(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and auto-generated from an agency feed.)