Chandigarh, Nov 10: Haryana has recorded its lowest number of farm fire incidents since 2021, with just 192 active fire locations (AFLs) reported during the ongoing paddy harvesting season as of November 9, according to official data. The decline comes amid sustained efforts to curb stubble burning, backed by Rs 1,220.42 crore released by the Central Government to the state over the past nine years under the Crop Residue Management (CRM) scheme.
Information obtained under the RTI Act from the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare reveals that Haryana has utilised Rs 933.96 crore of the total funds released so far. The latest farm fire figures indicate a significant improvement, with active fire locations declining by around 42 per cent compared with the corresponding period last year and nearly 96 per cent against 2021.
The state reported 192 active fire locations as of November 9 this year, compared with 333 in 2025, 959 in 2024, 1,676 in 2023, 2,693 in 2022 and 4,753 in 2021.
The figures assume significance as stubble burning is considered one of the major contributors to seasonal air pollution in the National Capital Region (NCR). The CRM scheme seeks to discourage the burning of paddy residue by promoting in-situ and ex-situ crop residue management practices and providing farmers access to appropriate agricultural machinery.
The Centre released Rs 137.84 crore to Haryana in 2018-19, followed by Rs 192.06 crore in 2019-20, Rs 170 crore in 2020-21, Rs 193.35 crore in 2021-22 and Rs 223.46 crore in 2022-23. The allocation subsequently declined to Rs 90 crore in 2023-24, Rs 75 crore in 2024-25 and Rs 90 crore in 2025-26. Another Rs 48.71 crore has been released during 2026-27 so far, taking the cumulative amount to Rs 1,220.42 crore.
The utilisation figures show expenditure of Rs 106.58 crore in 2018-19, Rs 127.16 crore in 2019-20, Rs 208.89 crore in 2020-21, Rs 178.33 crore in 2021-22 and Rs 86.84 crore in 2022-23. The state reported nil utilisation in 2023-24, followed by Rs 226 crore in 2024-25 and just Rs 16 lakh in 2025-26. The cumulative utilisation stands at Rs 933.96 crore.
The RTI response also highlighted the role of Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs), which provide farmers access to machinery required for crop residue management. Haryana had 10,627 such centres in 2018-19, increasing to 14,078 in 2019-20 and 29,020 in 2020-21. The number stood at 19,059 in 2021-22, 7,641 in 2022-23, 10,620 in 2023-24, 9,844 in 2024-25 and 9,885 in 2025-26.
The cumulative number of CHCs established across the state stands at 1,10,774, according to the information provided under the RTI Act.
