Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan: Reflections from the Grassroots

Continuing with its pro-farming endeavour, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India started the 'Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan 2025 (PreKharif)' with an aim to reach out to about 1-1.5 crore farmers through more than 2000 dedicated teams comprising of scientists, officials and farmers'.

- DR. PARVEEN KUMAR*

All this was to be accomplished within a fortnight (May 29-June 12). The compaign ran simultaneously in more than 700 districts of the country. Each day, each team conducted three meetings in different Panchayats covering cluster of villages and engaging about 10 to 12 lakh farmers on a daily basis. Hon'ble Primeminister launched the campaign from the holy city of Puri in Orissa in a virtual mode. Mr. Shiv Raj Singh Chauhan Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare himself visited 20 states in the 15 days Campaign.

The basic philosophy behind this 'Pre-Kharif Abhiyan' was Lab. to Land; i. e to bridge the gap between laboratory based research and field level practices by sensitization of farming communities regarding scientific cultivation of different crops to be grown in the Kharif season, awareness of various government schemes, promotion of sustainable practices and technologies so as to boost crop productivity, sharing monsoon forecasts and documentation of best practices & success stories emanating from farmers' fields. The Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Sh. Shiv Raj Singh Chauhan also gave the mantra of 'One Nation, One Agriculture, One Team' emphasizing upon the need for a unified connect between Agriculture and allied ministries at central as well as state/UT level, all institutions of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) as well as State Agricultural Universities (SAUs), Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), progressive and innovative farmers' and all such agencies involved in socio-economic upliftment of the farming community.