<span style="color: #222222;">With a view to making Punjab a 'zero stubble burning state', the Punjab Agriculture Department has initiated a massive drive to provide more than 28000 agro-machines/farm equipment to farmers. According to an official spokesperson, subsidy component of 278 crore rupees will be provided for the scheme during the current fiscal year under the first phase for in-situ management of paddy residue. The spokesperson said, subsidy ranging from 50 per cent to 80 per cent is being provided to the farmers under the scheme with 80 percent subsidy to cooperative societies and farmers groups while 50 percent for individuals. The State government has focused to deliver state-of-the-art machines to farmers including Super SMS, Happy Seeder, Paddy Straw Chopper/Shredder/Mulcher, Hydraulic Reversible Mould Board Plough and Zero Till Drill.<br />'' <br />'' The Secretary Agriculture KS Pannu informed that department has received around 12000 applications from individual farmers and farmers groups and Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies till date for subsidized machinery.<br />''<br />''He said that in order to supply the requisite machinery to the farmers, the Agriculture Department has fully geared up to complete the task of distribution of this equipment before September 15.</span><br />