What Are the Outcomes and Future Plans for the 'Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan'?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Over 2,170 nodal officers contributed insights from the campaign.
- The initiative aims to enhance food security and farmer income.
- Focus on biofortified crops and sustainable practices.
- Launch of a ‘Crop War’ targeting major crops.
- Strengthening of Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs).
New Delhi, June 24 (NationPress) Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan led a comprehensive review meeting regarding the ‘Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan’ at the ICAR Pusa Campus in New Delhi on Tuesday.
This meeting aimed to evaluate the results of the campaign executed from May 29 to June 12 and discuss the strategic direction for the future.
More than 2,170 nodal officers, participating both in-person and virtually, shared significant findings, field experiences, and actionable insights gathered from the campaign. Chouhan referred to this initiative as a transformative movement in independent India, driven by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of 'Lab to Land', which linked scientists with over 60,000 villages.
The Minister underlined that the initiative would persist with a renewed emphasis on income enhancement, food security, and establishing India as a global food hub. He highlighted the importance of developing and integrating biofortified crops, adopting sustainable practices, and mechanization while focusing on soil health, coastal agriculture, and animal husbandry.
Chouhan proposed launching a ‘Crop War’ targeting major crops like pulses, oilseeds, soybean, cotton, and sugarcane. He revealed plans for crop- and state-specific strategies, prioritizing research, enforcing strict regulations against substandard inputs, and forming dedicated teams for compliance monitoring.
He emphasized the need to bolster Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) with dedicated nodal officers and mandated active engagement from scientists in the field. A two-day conference is scheduled for the Rabi season, with the first day focusing on officials and the second on agriculture ministers to finalize the upcoming action plan.
The campaign's objectives include analyzing field practices, fostering inter-institutional learning among ICAR bodies, enhancing coordination with state departments and KVKs, and aligning research-extension strategies with the vision of a developed India.
Present at the program were Shyam Singh Rana, Agriculture Minister of Haryana; Devesh Chaturvedi, Secretary of MoA&FW; Dr. M. L. Jat, Secretary (DARE) and Director General (ICAR); Dr. Rajbir Singh, Deputy Director General (Agricultural Extension) ICAR; Dr. D.K. Yadava, Deputy Director General (Crop Science) ICAR, along with other senior officials, scientists, and vice-chancellors.
Nodal officers from various ICAR teams and state agriculture ministers also participated in the event virtually.