Commission has been deliberating on paddy stubble burning with State Governments of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, GNCTD, State Pollution Control Boards, and academic institutions since inception. The Commission had previously provided a broad framework to concerned States for control/elimination of crop residue burning and directed them to draw up State-specific Action Plans on a year-to-year basis. An Advisory dated 28.07.2021 was issued on effective ex-situ stubble management in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. The Commission had also directed NCR State Governments, GNCTD, and Government of Punjab to adopt the ISRO standard protocol for monitoring and reporting fire events using satellite data. State Governments have been formulating Annual Action Plans during 2021–2025. Action Plans for the 2026 paddy harvest season targeting complete elimination of open burning in Punjab, Haryana, and NCR Districts of Uttar Pradesh have been framed. The Hon’ble Supreme Court, on 03.04.2025, directed the States of Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh to constitute small committees headed by respective Chief Secretaries to monitor implementation of CAQM directions and submit monthly reports to the Commission. Salient features of the respective 2026 Action Plans were presented by State Government representatives in a meeting held on 06.05.2026. The draft direction was circulated among all Members of the Commission and approved in its meeting held on 15.05.2026.

12. NOW, THEREFORE, in view of the compelling need to control air pollution from burning paddy straw, the Commission hereby directs the State Governments of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to effectively implement their respective Action Plans in letter and spirit to ensure complete elimination of paddy stubble burning during 2026, inter alia, focusing on the following:

i. Mapping of each farm in all villages for the proposed mode of paddy stubble management (crop diversification/in-situ management/ex-situ management/fodder etc.);

ii. Tagging of a specific nodal officer to a group of farmers, covering all farmers in the district. Maximum 100 farmers (50 farmers for hotspot villages) could be tagged with each Nodal Officer, for effective monitoring and coordination between the farmers and other stakeholders;

iii. Comprehensive review of the inventories of CRM machines, including discarding the outdated non-functional machines – A fresh gap analysis and planning for procurement of different types and number of machines shall be conducted;

iv. Ensure timely procurement of new CRM machines by August 2026, as per the comprehensive review;

v. Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs) shall be established to facilitate access to machinery for farmers – Mandate rent-free availability of CRM machines for small/marginal farmers through the CHCs;

vi. Set up repair and maintenance centres well in advance to ensure proper functioning of CRM machines during the harvesting season;

vii. Develop a web-based dashboard for real-time tracking of district-wise stubble management related data such as crop area and residue generation, in-situ and ex-situ utilization including storage facilities, harvesting and sowing status, and enforcement details;

viii. Effective use of IT including a mobile app for planning, procurement, booking of machines and their on-ground utilization;

ix. Optimal utilization of balers, rakers and other machines for ex-situ management, including a plan for movement of these machines based on the harvesting patterns/schedules in various districts/villages;

x. Planning for adequate and appropriate storage facility/yards for paddy straw bales, including minimization of losses due to fire, in tune with the projections for ex-situ utilization – A gap analysis shall be done and parcels of Govt./Panchayat lands to be identified and made available for storage of paddy straw bales;

xi. Consolidation of a robust and continuous supply chain of paddy straw in various forms for ex-situ applications – District Level Supply Chain Management Plan to be formulated for each district by August 2026 duly mapping the baling, pelleting/briquetting, storage infrastructure and tagging with identified end-use applications;

xii. Constitution of a dedicated “Parali Protection Force” at the district/block level comprising of police officers, officers of the Agriculture Department, administrative officers, nodal/cluster officers and officials from other stakeholder Departments, to closely monitor, oversee and guard against any incident of paddy stubble burning;

xiii. Intensified patrolling by enforcement agencies during late evening hours considering the tendency of some farmers to resort to burning during late evening hours to evade the satellite recording of the farm fires;

xiv. Ensuring Red entries in farm records and imposition and realization of appropriate EC charges in respect of all such persons, who resort to stubble burning;

xv. Facilitating citizens to report their complaints on social media platforms regarding incidents of stubble burning;

xvi. Carrying out extensive IEC activities and creating awareness among farmers regarding best practices for effective crop residue management.

13. GNCT of Delhi and State Government of Rajasthan shall also make every possible effort towards eliminating paddy stubble burning incidents during the ensuing harvest season.
14. Status of the preparatory actions as per the timelines/milestones in the respective Plans shall be reported to the Commission on a monthly basis.