Précis and Essay Outline on Stubble Burning Data
The Haryana Environment Department is preparing a note for a district-level consultation on crop-residue burning. The note claims: 'Stubble burning has fallen 35% in three years because of 8,000 fewer fire incidents; air quality has improved.' But the data show 1.2 million hectares under paddy, 8,000 fire counts in the current season versus 12,300 three years ago, and PM2.5 in October–November worsening in two of the three years because of low wind and temperature inversion. Farmers report that a Happy Seeder costs ₹1.5 lakh, the subsidy covers 50% but reaches only 38% of smallholders; custom-hiring centres operate in 6 of 22 blocks. The department must write a precise policy brief and a 250-word essay for a compendium, without overclaiming success or blaming farmers. The senior officer asks for a précis of the note in 80 words and a reasoned essay outline.
1. Write a précis of the note in no more than 80 words. It must preserve the main claim, the contrary evidence, and the policy implication.
Read the worked answer
The note overstates progress. Fire counts fell from 12,300 to 8,000, but this does not prove a 35% fall in burning across 1.2 million hectares; PM2.5 worsened in two of three years due to weather. The Happy Seeder costs ₹1.5 lakh, subsidy reaches 38% of smallholders, and custom-hiring centres cover 6 of 22 blocks. A credible brief should separate fire counts from area burned, acknowledge meteorological effects, and propose targeted machinery access.
Why this précis works: it keeps the original claim, the two pieces of contrary evidence, and the policy direction. It does not introduce a new argument or blame farmers. It is 72 words, within the limit.
2. Identify two data limitations in the note and explain how each weakens the 35% claim.
Read the worked answer
Limitation 1: fire counts are not area burned. A 35% fall in fire incidents does not mean a 35% fall in stubble burning. One large fire can cover many hectares, and several small fires can cover little. Without mapping burned area or residue load, the percentage is an incident count, not a measure of emissions or area treated.
Limitation 2: weather confounds air quality. PM2.5 worsened in two of three years despite fewer fires, because low wind and temperature inversion trapped pollution. This does not prove that burning fell or rose; it shows that air quality cannot be used as a simple proxy for stubble burning. The note's claim that 'air quality has improved' is contradicted by its own data.
A third limitation is subsidy reach: 38% of smallholders is a coverage figure, not proof that the machines were used on the right fields. Together, these limitations mean the department can claim fewer reported fires, but not a 35% reduction in burning or a clear air-quality success.
3. Propose a thesis and a three-section outline for the 250-word essay. Explain why this framing avoids both overclaiming and blaming farmers.
Read the worked answer
Thesis: The fall in fire counts is real but partial; credible policy must shift from headline success to measured residue management and farmer economics.
Section 1 - What the data show and do not show. Present the fire-count decline, the 1.2 million hectare base, and the PM2.5 contradiction. Distinguish incidents from area burned and note weather effects. This avoids overclaiming.
Section 2 - Why farmers burn. Use the Happy Seeder cost of ₹1.5 lakh, the 50% subsidy with only 38% reach, and custom-hiring in 6 of 22 blocks. Frame these as access and liquidity constraints, not as farmer indifference. This avoids blaming farmers.
Section 3 - A measurable way forward. Propose block-level machinery banks, village-level residue collection, and payment for verified no-burn fields, with satellite or field audit. Set indicators: area under residue management, machine utilisation, and PM2.5 episodes.
Why this works: the essay concedes the genuine decline, challenges the causal leap, and places responsibility on institutional design. It is balanced, evidence-led, and suitable for a policy compendium rather than an opinion column.