Subsidies, incentives of over 1,800 farmers blocked in Bihar for stubble burning

The Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) registration of 1,807 farmers in Bihar was suspended for stubble burning in 2025-26, according to a report tabled by the Agriculture Department in the Assembly.

Subsidies and incentives of 1,758 farmers were blocked in 2025 for violating the government’s advisory against crop residue burning. So far this year, DBT registrations of 49 more farmers were suspended for similar violations, according to the report.

DBT enables farmers to directly receive financial assistance under various agriculture schemes, it said.

Bihar State Pollution Control Board (BSPCB) chairperson Devendra Kumar Shukla said the State government has imposed a blanket ban on stubble burning to curb air pollution and prevent soil fertility loss.

“The government had issued strict warnings that farmers found burning stubble would be denied financial assistance and subsidies under government schemes. The state provides electricity to farmers at concessional rates and diesel at subsidised prices, among other support,” he told PTI.

Mr. Shukla urged farmers to take the matter seriously in the interest of public health and environmental protection.

He said the government has launched awareness campaigns and is offering subsidies on farm equipment to discourage stubble burning.

Farmers are also being encouraged to sell green waste and other organic materials for the production of biomass briquettes, he said.

“Biomass briquettes, made primarily from green waste and organic materials, are used as heat and cooking fuel. These compressed compounds contain various organic materials,” he said.

The Bihar Economic Survey (2025-26), recently tabled in the Assembly, noted that DBT registrations of 4,596 farmers were blocked in 2024. However, incidents of crop residue burning declined in 2025 compared to the previous year.

The survey noted that district officials have been directed to promote the use of combine harvesters and maintain heightened vigilance in panchayats identified as hotspots for crop residue burning.

It also stated that the Agriculture Department has set up an inter-departmental working group to raise awareness among farmers and the public about the harmful effects of burning crop residue.