Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema proposed Rs 13,888 crore for agriculture and farmers in the state budget on Friday. Rs 350 crore was allotted for stubble management in the state in a bid to combat air pollution caused by stubble burning.

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The Rs 1,96,462-crore state budget is the first full budget under the Aam Aadmi Party government which was elected in March 2022. The budget includes provisions for free power to households, assistance to the horticulture sector and investments in technical and medical institutes.

Highlighting that incidents of stubble burning in the state went down by 30 percent, Finance Minister Cheema said that the government will be setting aside Rs 350 crore to the Sub Mission on Agri Mechanism, which is responsible for tackling the issue of pollution caused due to stubble burning.

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Stubble burning is the practice of setting fire to the residual straw and stubble of crops such as rice, wheat, and sugarcane after the harvest season. It is a common agricultural practice in many parts of India, especially in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.

The burning of crop residue is a quick and cheap way to clear fields and prepare them for the next crop cycle. However, it is also a major contributor to air pollution, as the smoke and particulate matter released from the burning of crop residue has harmful effects on human health and the environment.

The government’s budget had a particular focus on the agriculture sector with a total of Rs 13,888 crore being set aside for agriculture and farmers' welfare. The government will also be setting aside Rs 1,000 crore for crop diversification practices.

Additionally, Rs 125 crore has been allocated to promote the Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) technique for paddy cultivation and for the cultivation of moong crops in the fiscal. The government has also announced that it will be launching a Fasal Bima Yojana (crop insurance scheme). Cheema added that the government is also looking at other ways to increase farmers’ income in the state.

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The state’s budget for the financial year 2023-24 has seen a 22 percent increase in capital expenditure while its Gross State Domestic Product is expected to increase by 9 percent in the same period. The Effective Revenue Deficit has been pegged at 3.32 percent, while the Fiscal Deficit is estimated to be 4.98 percent.

(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)