Chandigarh, May 25 -- In a push to conserve groundwater and promote sustainable paddy cultivation, Punjab agriculture and farmers welfare minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian on Sunday said the state has set a target of bringing 5 lakh acres under the Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR) technique during the 2026-27 kharif season, with a budgetary provision of Rs.40 crore.

The minister said 23,410 farmers adopted the DSR technique during the 2025 kharif season, covering 2,35,899 acres under direct paddy sowing. The state government has disbursed over Rs.35.38 crore as financial assistance at the rate of Rs.1,500 per acre directly into the bank accounts of eligible farmers.

Calling it a "farmer-led revolution in water conservation", Khudian said the r...