Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Monday (December 1, 2025) told the Lok Sabha that stubble burning in Punjab and the National Capital Region (NCR) is an “episodic event” in the context of air pollution in Delhi-NCR.
Later in the day, the Commission for Air Quality Management in the NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) issued a statement noting a “substantial reduction” in farm fires in Punjab and Haryana — the biggest drop since the agency began monitoring State-wise crop residue management in 2018.
Traffic, not stubble, behind daily pollution spikes in Delhi: Study
Mr. Yadav made the remarks while responding to a question from Congress’s Jalandhar MP Charanjit Singh Channi on whether Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) crossed 450 this year despite a reported 20% reduction in farm fires in Punjab. He also sought details about the steps taken to enforce the CAQM’s directives, including subsidies for crop residue management machinery.
The Minister said air pollution in Delhi-NCR is the result of several local and regional factors, including vehicular and industrial emissions, dust from construction, burning of municipal waste, landfill fires and meteorological conditions. Stubble burning in Punjab and the NCR is an additional “episodic event”, he added.
