<h1>Government funds 15,000 crop-residue machines, farmers buy 12,500; 148,000 distributed under Rs500 crore anti-burning plan</h1> The state government sanctioned 15,000 crop residue management machines, of which 12,500 were procured by farmers, as part of a broader programme that has already distributed about 148,000 machines and includes a Rs 500 crore action plan to manage paddy straw and discourage burning. Authorities are conducting village-level outreach urging compliance with anti-burning measures, citing environmental, air-quality and soil-health impacts. Reported stubble-burning incidents fell sharply year-on-year, from 36,663 in 2023 to 10,909 in 2024, reflecting enforcement and subsidy-driven adoption of residue-management equipment.