Ahmedabad, 4th June, 2026: On World Environment Day, HDFC Bank, through its
CSR programme Parivartan, in partnership with CII Foundation, announced a
landmark milestone in its Crop Residue Management (CRM) initiative, 88% of 3,78,425 acres of farmland have been
saved from stubble burning across Punjab and Haryana in the 2025 season. Reaching 86,000 farmers
across more than 380 villages in Ludhiana and Sangrur districts of Punjab and
Fatehabad district of Haryana, the programme is a comprehensive and impactful
private-sector-led effort to tackle agricultural air pollution in North India.
Stubble burning after the paddy harvest is among
the contributors to the severe air pollution that blankets North India every
winter, disrupting life and aggravating chronic heart and lung diseases.
Burning one tonne of paddy straw, generated in approx. 1/3rd of an
acre farm, releases three kilograms of particulate matter into the atmosphere,
while also stripping the soil of essential nutrients. Despite a 53% reduction
in burning incidents in Punjab and Haryana in 2025, small and marginal farmers
continue to face barriers in accessing machinery and managing residue within
tight inter-seasonal windows.
Launched in October 2023 in Ludhiana and
expanded in 2024 to Sangrur and Fatehabad, the three-year programme is
implemented by CII Foundation across 380 villages. To date, 8 villages have
eliminated stubble burning entirely, and 174 have achieved over 90% non-burning
compliance.
Speaking about the milestone, Nusrat Pathan,
Head – CSR, HDFC Bank, said, “Stubble burning is not simply an
agricultural habit – it is a systemic challenge rooted in economics, access,
and awareness. HDFC Bank Parivartan’s partnership with CII Foundation has
addressed all three dimensions simultaneously. By making machinery accessible to
farmers through cooperative tool banks, driving behaviour change through
sustained community engagement, and introducing ex-situ solutions like biogas
and composting, we have built a model that delivers environmental outcomes
alongside real savings for farmers. On World Environment Day, we reaffirm our
commitment to scaling this impact further.”
The programme’s success is anchored in a
community tool bank approach: over 450 pieces of farm machinery, including Balers,
Super Seeders, Smart Seeders, Mittar Seeders, were procured and donated to more
than 140 farmer cooperatives and Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), making these
available to farmers at an affordable rental cost. 800 tractors were deployed on hire for small
and marginal farmers during the peak stubble burning period. Use of machinery
enables in-situ residue management, mulching and incorporating paddy straw into
the soil while also completing soil preparation, sowing of wheat seeds and
fertiliser application in a single operation – reducing stubble management and
sowing costs from ₹2,000–₹2,500 per acre to approximately ₹800–₹1,200 per acre,
while also improving soil fertility and reducing dependence on chemical
fertilisers in the long run. Farmers unable to adopt in-situ straw management
methods could use Baler machines to mechanically collect, bundle and dispose of
straw in a quick time. Over 30 village youth were mentored and supported with
provision of Baler machines to initiate small businesses on paddy straw
aggregation, supply chain management and value addition. Eighteen paddy
straw-based small biogas units have been installed, and two bio-pelletization
plants and one bio-fertiliser plant are being established under the program to enhance
ex-situ straw management.
Farmers’ participation and sustained behaviour
change was brought about through thousands of village-level meetings, farmer
awareness sessions, and training programmes conducted in partnership with the
Agriculture Department.
Chandrakant Pradhan, Lead – Climate Resilience,
CII Foundation, said, “What
makes this programme exceptional is the depth of community ownership it has
generated. Farmers who once had no alternative to burning now champion in-situ
management and actively encourage their neighbours. Across villages in Ludhiana,
Sangrur and Fatehabad, farmers in large numbers have moved on from the practice
of open field burning of paddy straw for years, to become harbingers of a zero
burning movement just within a two-to-three-year time, a testament to what
becomes possible when communities are equipped, educated, and trusted to lead
change.”
The human dimension of the programme reflects
its breadth of reach. Gurmeet Singh of Cheema village, Ludhiana, shifted to CRM
practices across his entire farm in 2023 and has since halved his per-acre
residue management costs. Paramjeet Singh, a small landholder from Lamba
village in Fatehabad, found that access to a cooperative-owned Super Seeder
eliminated the financial pressure of expensive private machinery rentals,
making sustainable farming viable for even the most resource-constrained
households.
As the programme continues through 2026–27, HDFC
Bank Parivartan and CII Foundation are committed to deepening adoption in new
villages, expanding ex-situ straw management infrastructure, and building
long-term agricultural resilience across the region.
