Chandigarh, March 17:
Punjab Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian has issued a sharp challenge to the Union Government, asserting that it is no longer enough to merely acknowledge Punjab’s historic success in curbing stubble burning, the Centre must now do justice to the state by releasing its long-pending financial dues.
Reacting to data tabled by Union Minister of State for Environment Sh. Kirti Vardhan Singh in the Lok Sabha confirming a collective reduction of over 90 per cent in fire incidences across Punjab and Haryana since 2022, S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian emphasised that the Centre Government has finally admitted the truth, it continues to unfairly withhold Rs 8800 crore in Rural Development Funds (RDF).
He remarked that it is a profound irony that Punjab farmers are bleeding themselves in controlling paddy burning, while continuing to feed the nation as its “food bowl,”, but the Union Government refuses to pay the state its rightful dues.
Seizing upon the central government’s admission, the Agriculture Minister Khudian asserted that the figures had effectively silenced the critics who consistently targeted Punjab farmers and held the state responsible for North India’s air pollution woes. Those who ran smear campaigns against Punjab and claimed that stubble burning would never end should now eat their words.
“For years, our farmers were stigmatised and Punjab was singled out as the sole contributor to Delhi’s deteriorating air quality. Now, the Union government’s own satellite data, presented formally in Parliament, has put to rest all false narratives. The reduction of over 90 per cent is the Centre’s own admission, backed by scientific evidence,” the Minister stated.
The Agriculture Minister S. Khudian highlighted the state government’s aggressive push for farm mechanisation. He disclosed that Rs 416 crore was utilised during the financial year 2025-26 to provide subsidies on procurement of Crop Residue Management (CRM) machinery to farmers across the state.
With an enhanced budgetary provision of Rs600 crore for the upcoming financial year 2026-27, S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian assured that Punjab is firmly on track to offer a sustainable, long-term solution to the crop residue burning.
“With Rs 600 crore action plan formulated for financial year 2026-27, Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government is investing unprecedented resources to ensure that our farmers never have to burn stubble again,” S. Khudian asserted.
The Agriculture Minister demanded the immediate release of Rs 8800 crore pending on account of Rural Development Fund (RDF), which the Centre has been withholding for several procurement seasons. “We have approached the Supreme Court, we have knocked on every door, yet the funds remain withheld,” he added.
Appreciating the Punjab farmers for their cooperation and willingness to adopt modern machinery, S. khudian said that the state farmers have once again proven that they are the true annadatas of the nation by making the achievement possible. Our farmers have demonstrated that with the right support, they can achieve what was once considered impossible.
