Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday, 29 September handed over financial sanction letters totalling more than ₹1,200 crore to agriculture ministers of 10 states under the Prime Minister Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (PM-RKVY), signalling the Centre's push to accelerate on-ground implementation of the flagship agricultural development scheme.

State-wise Allocation Breakdown

The disbursement was distributed across states as follows: West Bengal received the largest share at ₹290 crore, followed by Haryana at ₹198 crore and Chhattisgarh at ₹181 crore. Arunachal Pradesh was allocated ₹154 crore, Bihar ₹114 crore, and Karnataka ₹104 crore. Smaller allocations went to Mizoram (₹75 crore), Himachal Pradesh (₹64 crore), Jharkhand (₹58 crore), and Punjab (₹43 crore).

What Chouhan Said at the Meeting

Chairing a national review meeting attended by agriculture ministers and senior officials from the recipient states, Chouhan emphasised that the Union Government was moving beyond policy formulation toward ensuring 'timely availability of resources so that implementation can begin on the ground without delay.'

Highlighting the country's agricultural trajectory, Chouhan noted that since 2015, the agriculture growth rate has climbed from 3% to 4.5%. Average annual foodgrain production increases have reportedly more than doubled — rising from around 40 lakh tonnes earlier to 84 lakh tonnes per year. He further stated that rabi foodgrain production recorded an unprecedented increase of 205 lakh tonnes in just two years, from 2023-24 to 2025-26.

New Review Mechanism and State Agriculture Teams

Chouhan announced a new cooperative federalism mechanism: regular monthly virtual review meetings with states, modelled on weekly Centre-level reviews, to continuously assess scheme progress. At the state level, a dedicated State Agriculture Team will be constituted, bringing together the Agriculture Minister, Agriculture Secretary, state agricultural universities, ICAR institutions, Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), ATMA, and Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs). Monthly district-level meetings will also be held in parallel.

Soil Health, Rabi Season and Farmer Pricing

Chouhan called for a nationwide 'Khet Bachao Abhiyan' from 22 October to 30 November this year, aimed at promoting balanced fertiliser use based on Soil Health Cards to protect soil fertility and beneficial insects. He also advocated large-scale pulse cultivation in rice fallow areas of eastern India — particularly in Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha, and West Bengal — after the paddy harvest.

On farmer income, Chouhan said the government would ensure 100% assured procurement of tur, urad, and masoor at Minimum Support Price (MSP), with payment guaranteed within 48 hours. He added that India would leverage emerging opportunities under new international Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) to connect Indian agricultural produce — fruits, vegetables, and foodgrains — with global markets, in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of positioning India as a major 'food basket' for the world.

With the rabi season underway, Chouhan directed states to base crop and seed recommendations on soil moisture and water availability, and to take strict legal action against fake fertilisers, spurious seeds, and sub-standard pesticides. The next phase of PM-RKVY implementation will be closely watched as states begin translating these funds into field-level programmes.