Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and Rural Development, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, chaired a high-level review meeting on the ‘Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan’ at ICAR Pusa Campus, New Delhi today.
The meeting focused on outcomes of the campaign conducted from May 29 to June 12, and deliberated on the strategic roadmap ahead. Over 2,170 nodal officers both in-person and virtually presented key findings, field experiences, and actionable insights from the campaign.
Shri Chouhan described the campaign as a historic movement in independent India, inspired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s 'Lab to Land' vision, which connected scientists with over 60,000 villages.
The Minister emphasized that the initiative would continue with renewed focus on income enhancement, food security, and positioning India as a global food basket. He stressed the development and integration of biofortified crops, sustainable practices, and mechanization, along with focused efforts on soil health, coastal agriculture, and animal husbandry.
Shri Chouhan proposed the initiation of a ‘Crop War’ for major crops like pulses, oilseeds, soybean, cotton, and sugarcane. He announced plans for crop- and state-specific planning, research prioritization, strict regulation against substandard inputs, and the formation of special teams to enforce compliance.
He highlighted the need to strengthen Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) through dedicated nodal officers and mandated field engagement by scientists. A two-day conference will be held for the Rabi season, day one for officials and day two for agriculture ministers to finalize the upcoming action plan.
The campaign aimed to analyze field practices, promote inter-institutional learning among ICAR bodies, strengthen coordination with state departments and KVKs, and align research-extension strategies with the vision of a developed India.
Shri Shyam Singh Rana, Agriculture Minister, Haryana; Shri Devesh Chaturvedi, Secretary, MoA&FW; Dr. M. L. Jat, Secretary (DARE) & Director General (ICAR); Dr. Rajbir Singh, Deputy Director General (Agricultural Extension) ICAR; Dr. D.K. Yadava, Deputy Director General (Crop Science) ICAR and other senior officials, scientists, and vice-chancellors, were present during the programme. Nodal officers from various ICAR teams and state agriculture ministers also joined the event virtually.