CHANDIGARH/KHARAR, Sept. 2 -- Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday called for an awareness campaign at the village and block levels to curb stubble burning in the state.

Chairing a meeting on the paddy straw management strategy, Mann said that paddy has been sown over 30 lakh hectares in the state in the current kharif season and was expected to generate 18.81 million tonnes of straw.

Directing officers to take the campaign to villages and blocks, the CM emphasised the participation of NGOs, social workers, panchayats and farmers, backed by social media outreach and ex-situ and in-situ paddy straw management to curb field fires.

"The stubble burning incidents fell by 86% from 2023 to 2025 due to the state government's efforts...