Farm fires in Punjab down 95 per cent since 2020, says Aman Arora
Punjab minister Aman Arora accused the BJP of blaming the state for Delhi's air pollution despite data showing a decline in stubble burning.
Punjab minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) state president Aman Arora claimed on Tuesday that farm fires in the state have decreased by nearly 95 per cent since 2020. Speaking in Sangrur, Arora accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of scapegoating Punjab's farmers for the smog in Delhi, according to The Times of India.
Arora cited Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) data showing that stubble-burning incidents fell from 83,002 in 2020 to 5,114 in 2025. He noted that 4,657 incidents have been recorded so far this season. He attributed this reduction to the efforts of the state government and cooperation from farmers.
The minister stated that stubble smoke contributed only 7.8 per cent to Delhi's PM2.5 pollution on November 8 and 5 per cent on November 9. He cited various studies to argue that local emissions are the primary drivers of pollution in the capital and demanded an apology from the BJP for maligning farmers.
Regarding management, Arora said the state has provided more than 1.6 lakh subsidised machines for crop residue since 2022, with 25,917 distributed this year. Punjab is currently managing 1.1 crore tonne of stubble in-situ and 78 lakh tonne ex-situ.
Arora also called on the Centre to increase the ₹40,000-crore cash credit limit (CCL) for paddy procurement, noting it has been fully utilised. He assured that the state would procure all grain and maintain uninterrupted payments for the current bumper harvest.
