Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], November 8 (ANI): In a major milestone, the paddy arrival throughout the mandis is inching towards the coveted 150 Lakh Metric Tonne (LMT) mark. The arrival to date has surpassed the 144 Lakh Metric Tonne mark, with over 125 LMT lifted.

Punjab Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak termed the accelerated pace of procurement and lifting as a testament to the 'farmer-friendly policies' of the Punjab government, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann.

Kataruchak said that the necessary arrangements have been made in the mandis with a view to ensuring that no stakeholder, whether the farmers, Commission Agents (Arhtiyas), or Labourers, encounter any difficulty. As far as procurement is concerned, more than 140 LMT of paddy has been procured.

According to the Information and Public Relations Department, coming to the payments front, the amount in excess of Rs 32,000 crore has been credited into the accounts of the farmers, said the Minister, exhorting the farming community to bring dry produce to the mandis to derive the full worth of their crops, which they have produced with so much hard work.

Earlier, the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) noted that between September 15 and November 6, 2025, Punjab recorded 3,284 stubble burning incidents, compared to 5,041 during the same period last year, indicating a marginal improvement over the same period last year, according to a press release.

Following CAQM's visit to Punjab under the chairpersonship of Rajesh Verma, the Commission held a high-level review meeting with the State Government of Punjab on November 7 at Chandigarh to take stock of actions taken on the ground by the concerned Departments to curb incidents of stubble burning in the region.

According to the press release by CAQM, some districts, including Muktsar and Fazilka, have even shown an increase in the number of fire counts, which is a cause of concern that requires immediate intervention by the State. The Commission observed that till September 2025, in Punjab, 4 Thermal Power Plants (TPPs) (2 TPPs of PSPCL: Lehra and Ropar; TSPL- Mansa and NPL- L&T) altogether cofired only 3.12 Lakh MT of crop residue pellets against a target of 11.83 Lakh MT for the period of 2025-26.

The Commission expressed that a lot needs to be done in Punjab to achieve the complete elimination of stubble burning. The Chairperson directed Punjab to immediately scale up efforts to comply with the Commission's directions and run a robust IEC campaign, ensure the timely availability of Crop Residue Management (CRM) machinery to utilise paddy straw, and extend necessary support for Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG) plants and other industries utilising paddy straw. Greater on-ground enforcement and accountability mechanisms were also stressed.

It was also directed to take actions against the nodal officers and other functionaries under whom a higher number of farm fires have been recorded.

CAQM undertook field visits in Punjab to assess the ground situation related to crop residue management and enforcement activities aimed towards the reduction in stubble burning incidents, the press release said. (ANI)