SMART CONTRACTS: BETWEEN TECHNOLOGY AND TRADITIONAL CONTRACT LAW

Abstract

Punjab is an agrarian society and is one of the world’s leading producers of crops such as rice and wheat. The crops rely heavily on fertilizers and different pesticides, which harm the environment. After every harvesting season, farmers burn crop residue too quickly to clear the fields for the next sowing, as short time gaps undermine the productivity of the crops. The practice of stubble burning has raised serious environmental, health and legal concerns. Stubble burning has degraded air quality by discharging harmful gases such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and sulphur oxides, which lead to respiratory illnesses, particularly among children, the elderly, and pregnant women. Thus, it has endangered public health so the study has emphasized the serious issue of stubble burning in Punjab from a legal and regulatory perspective. The chapter has also analysed the challenges faced by farmers that forced them to burn stubble. The study has employed qualitative methodology and relies on secondary sources such as statutory provisions, government reports, newspapers, articles, and studies related to stubble burning. The role of the government, courts, and regulatory institutions in addressing the serious issue of stubble burning through environmental laws, legal restrictions, penalties, and awareness campaigns to discourage stubble burning have also been thoroughly discussed. The research work has highlighted sustainable and legally viable residue management practices, effective implementation of environmental laws, farmer-centric polices, and coordinated government action to achieve the right to a clean and healthy environment.