The Core Objective:

The core objective of the petition is to urge the Government of India to announce this year, that it will completely stop procuring rice from Punjab next year if stubble burning continues at the present scale.

At the heart of this demand is a simple truth: we must stop the yearly poisoning of our air caused by stubble burning. This petition stands for the principle of live and let live. Millions of people—children, elders, asthma patients—cannot be sacrificed year after year because a section of farmers refuses to adopt alternatives despite massive government efforts.

Enough is enough. Delhi and North India cannot continue to suffer life-threatening pollution every winter. It is time for a firm, advance warning and a clear policy signal: no burning, no pollution — or no procurement.

Key Facts for 2025:

1. By 5 November 2025, Punjab had recorded a total of 2,933 stubble-burning incidents this season. [The Times of India]
2. On one day (6 November 2025), Punjab logged 351 stubble-burning cases, bringing its cumulative total to 3,284. [The Times of India]
3. Between 1 October and 4 November 2025, Punjab’s stubble-burning tally rose from 933 to 2,839 (≈ 67% of the seasonal total emerged in that week). [The Times of India]
4. The share of farm‐fires’ contribution to Delhi’s PM2.5 is projected to rise sharply: from just ~2.0% on 4 November to potentially 21.5% on Thursday, 36.9% by Friday, in the forecasted period. [The Indian Express]
5. On 6 November 2025, Delhi recorded a 24-hour average AQI of 311, placing it in the “very poor” zone, after a brief improvement. [The New Indian Express]

The reasoning is straightforward: Over the past several years, the GOI has already taken extensive steps in Punjab to help farmers transition away from burning:

• large subsidies and machinery support,
• custom-hiring centres for small farmers,
• training and awareness campaigns,
• ex-situ straw-utilisation programmes, and
• active monitoring and enforcement.

Despite this, the rebel farmers continue to burn stubble, creating a recurring public-health emergency for the entire nation.

Therefore, it is reasonable for the GOI to take decisive action against those who refuse to comply. The government can clearly state in advance that if burning does not stop, paddy grown in Punjab next year will not be procured.

This advance warning gives farmers ample time to shift crops or adopt alternatives. 

No paddy means no husk, no burning, and ultimately, no pollution.