Recently, the Supreme Court seeks a response from the Punjab government regarding a petition that calls for the mandatory use of a specialized machine with harvesters to reduce paddy straw burning.

A bench consisting of Justices Abhay S Oka, Ahsanuddin Amanullah, and Augustine George Masih issued a notice to the state government, following a plea submitted by Avtar Singh Phagwara, the founder of the NGO Sampuran Kheti Puran Rozgar.

The petitioner highlighted that Punjab Agricultural University in Ludhiana has developed an innovative "surface seeding-cum-mulching" machine that can be attached to combined harvesters during the paddy harvesting process. According to the petitioner, this machine is designed to simultaneously mulch the straw and sow the wheat crop. Scientists at the university have claimed that using this machine could effectively eliminate the practice of paddy straw burning.

Despite successful trials, the plea alleges that the Punjab government has not promoted the use of this machine. The Supreme Court also directed the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to respond to the petition.

Senior advocate H.S. Phoolka, representing the petitioner, emphasized that the machine is both economical and practical, requiring minimal machinery and lower horsepower tractors. The petition notes that the machine costs around ₹1.20 lakh, significantly less than the ₹2.50 lakh price tag of a super-seeder.

While the Punjab government provides a ₹1 lakh subsidy for super-seeders, the plea argues that it fails to promote the newly developed machine, which is more cost-effective and efficient. The petitioner pointed out that super-seeders necessitate a 50 HP tractor, which results in higher operational costs. In contrast, many small farmers only possess 25 HP tractors and cannot afford either the expensive super-seeders or their associated costs.

Additionally, the petitioner has requested that the vice-chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University present the trial results of the machine to the Supreme Court