-The Indian Express At current rates of depletion, Punjab’s entire subsurface water resource could be exhausted in a little over two decades. Jalandhar: As the discussion around Punjab’s massive groundwater crisis becomes more urgent, there is an increasingly stronger accent on diversification of crops, and a move away from water-guzzling paddy. At a meeting over the weekend, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, decided to strengthen maize — the most important alternative to...

-The Hindu Business Line Fewer straw-management machines were given out than had been sanctioned In Punjab most farmers have their homes right in the middle of their farms. When they clear their field in October to prepare for sowing wheat, they burn the rice stalks left in the field and their homes remain engulfed by smog for weeks. So, if there is an alternative to crop burning, farmers will only be...

-The Indian Express Following a Supreme Court order directing three states to compensate farmers who have refrained from burning paddy stubble on their fields, Punjab government is paying Rs 2,500 per acre. The Indian Express explains how the government is zeroing in on those managed the stubble in an environment friendly way * How many farmers have applied for compensation? The state government has received nearly 85,000 applications till date. The numbers...

-India Today Satellite data shows significant rise in cases of farm fires in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh compared to last year. Chief ministers of Haryana and Punjab have blamed each other for increasing air pollution in cities in North India and other areas by failing to control stubble burnings cases. But satellite data, gathered and analysed by India Today's data team, DIU, shows that Punjab's farmers have burned 13 per cent less...

-Down to Earth Although the actual amount of fines charged was not available; farmers continue to burn residues every season Crop residue burning in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh has been known, but nowadays it's spreading more frequently in other parts of country. Wheat stubble burning is a relatively new issue which started with mechanised harvesting using combine harvesters. In the last four to five years, farmers from UP’s Ghazipur district, especially...