Crop Residue Management Initiatives: A Comprehensive Analysis of Government of India and Punjab's Strategies

Crop residue burning (CRB) in India poses a severe environmental and public health challenge, particularly in the agricultural heartlands of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi. Driven primarily by the narrow window between successive crop cycles, this practice leads to significant air pollution, soil degradation, and economic losses. In response, both the Government of India (GoI) and the Government of Punjab have implemented a multifaceted array of initiatives, evolving from general farm mechanization support to highly specialized crop residue management (CRM) schemes.