List of Government Programs & Various Schemes of India February 2, 201222 Comments Kindly Visit This page for an updated version of Current Schemes 1952: Community Development Programme (CDP) overall development of rural areas and people’s participation. 1960-61: Intensive Agriculture Development program (IADP) To provide loan for seeds and fertilizers to farmers 1964-65: Intensive Agriculture Area programme (IAAP) To develop special harvest in agriculture area. 1965 : Credit Authorization Scheme (CAS) Involved qualitative credit control of reserve bank of India 1966-67: High yielding variety programme (HYVP) To increase the productivity of food grains by adopting latest varieties of inputs of crops. 1966-67: Green Revolution: To Increase productivity. Confined to wheat production. 1969: Rural Electrification Corporation To provide electricity in rural areas 1972 : Scheme of Discriminatory Interest Rate To provide loan to the weaker sections of society at a concessional interest rate of 4% 1972-73 : Accelerated Rural water Supply Programme (ARWSP) Providing drinking water in villages 1973: Drought Prone Area Programme: Protection from drought by achieving environement balace and by developing ground water 1973: Crash Scheme for Rural Employment CSRE For rural employment 1973-74 : Marginal Farmer and Agriculture Labor Agency (MFALA) Technical & financial assistance to marginal farmers 1974-75: Small Farmer Development Scheme SFDS Technical & financial assistance to small farmers 1975: Command Area Development Programme: (CADP) Better utilization of irrigational capacities 1975: Twenty Point Programme (TPP) Poverty eradication and an overall objective of raising the level living 1977: National Institution of Rural Development Training, investigation and advisory for rural development 1977-78 : Desert Development Programme: (DDP) To control the desert expansion by maintaining environment balance 1977-78: Food For Work Programme: providing food grains to labor 1977-78 : Antyodaya Yojna : Scheme of Rajasthan, providing economic assistance to poorest families 1979 : Training Rural Youth for Self Employment TRYSEM (launched on 15th August) educational and vocational training 1980 : Integrated Rural Development Programme :IRDP (launched on October 2, 1980) overall development of rural poor 1980 : National Rural Development programme NREP employment for rural manforce 1982 : Development of Women & Children in Rural Areas (DWCRA) sustainable opportunities of self employment to the women belonging to the rural families who are living below the poverty line. 1983 : Rural Landless Employment Guarantee Programme (RLEGP) (Launched on August 15) employment to landless farmers and laborers 1983-84: Farmers Agriculture Service Centers FASCs Tell the people use of improved instruments of agriculture 1984 : National Fund for Rural Development : To grant 100% tax rebate to donors and also to provide financial assistance for rural development projects 1985: Comprehensive Crop Insurance Scheme: Crop Insurance 1986: Council of Advancement of People’s Action & Rural Technology (CAPART) Assistance to rural people 1986: Self Employment Programme for the Poor SEPUP Self employment through credit and subsidy 1986: National Drinking Water Mission: For rural drinking water renamed and upgraded to Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission in 1991. 1988: Service Area Account Rural Credit 1989: Jawahar Rozgar Yojna : JRY Employment to rural unemployed 1989: Nehru Rozgar Yojna NRY Employment to Urban unemployed 1990: Agriculture & Rural Debt Relief Scheme: ARDRS Exempt Bank loans up to Rs. 10000 for rural artisans and weavers 1990: Scheme for Urban Micro Enterprises SUME Assist urban small entrepreneurs 1990: Scheme of Urban wage Employment SUWE Scheme for urban poor’s 1990: Scheme of Housing and Shelter Upgradation (SHASU) Providing employment by shelter Upgradation 1991: National Housing Bank Voluntary Deposit Scheme Using black money by constructing low cost housing for the poor. 1992: National Renewal Fund This scheme was for the employees of the public sector 1993: Employment Assurance Scheme (EAS) (Launched on October, 2) Employment of at least 100 days in a year in villages 1993: Members of parliament Local Area Development Scheme MPLADS (December 23, 1993) Sanctioned 1 crore per year for development works 1994: Scheme for Infrastructural Development in Mega Cities : SIDMC Water supply, sewage, drainage, urban transportation, land development and improvement slums projects in metro cities 1993: District Rural Development Agency DRDA Financial assistance to rural people by district level authority 1993 : Mahila Samridhi Yojna (October 2, 1993) Encourage rural women to deposit in Post office schems 1994 : Child labor Eradication Scheme Shift

child labour from hazardous industries to schools 1995: prime Minister Integrated Urban Poverty Eradication programme PMIUPEP To eradicate urban poverty 1995 : Mid day Meal Scheme: Nutrition to students in primary schools to improve enrolment, retention and attendence 1996: Group Life Insurance Scheme for Rural Areas Insurance in rural area for low premium 1995: national Social Assistance programme: Assist BPL people. 1997-98; Ganga Kalyan Yojna Provide financial assistance to farmers for exploring ground water resources 1997 Kastoorba Gandhi Education Scheme: (15 August 1997) Establish girls schools in low female literacy areas (district level) 1997: Swaran Jayanto Shahari Rojgar Yojna: Urban employment 1998: Bhagya Shree Bal Kalyan Policy Upliftment of female childs March 1999 : Annapurna Yojna 10 kgs food grains to elderly people April 1999: Swaran Jayanto Gram Swarojgar Yojna Self employment in rural areas April 1999: Jawahar Gram Samriddhi Yojna Village infrastructure August 2000 : Jan Shree Bima Yojna Insurance for BPL people 2000 : Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojna Basic needs of rural people December 25, 2000 : Antyodaya Anna Yojna To provide food security to poor December 25, 2000 : Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna: Connect all villages with nearest pukka road. September 2001: Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojna Employment and food security to rural people December 2001: Valmiki Ambedkar Awas Yojna VAMBAY Slum houses in urban areas 2003: Universal health Insurance Scheme: Health insurance for Rural people 2004: Vande mataram Scheme VMS Initiative of public Private partnership during pregnecy check up. 2004: National Food for Work programme Supplementary wage as foodgrains for work 2004: Kastoorba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya Setting up residential schools at upper primary levels for girls belonging to predominantly OBC, SC & ST 2005: Janani Suraksha Yojna Providing care to pregnant women 2005, Dec. 16 : Bharat Nirman Development of India through irrigation, Water supply, Housing, Road, Telephone and electricity 2005: National Rural Health Mission: Accessible, affordable, accountable, quality health survices to the porest of the poor on remotest areas of the country. 2005: Rajeev Gandhi Grameen Vidyuti Karan Yojna: Extending electrification of all villages and habitations and ensuring electricity to every household. 2005: Jawahar Lal Nehru national Urban Renewal Mission: (JNNURM) Click here to read more 2006: February 2 : National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme NREGS 100 days wage employment for development works in rural areas. 2007: Rastriya Swasthya Bima Yojna : Health insurance to all workers in unorganized area below poverty line. 2007: Aam Aadmi Bima Yojna Insurance cover to the head of the family of rural landless households in the country. 2009: Rajiv Awas Yojna To make India slum free in 5 years Which scheme merged with which? National Food for Work program was merged with NREGA Sampoorna Grameen Rojgar Yojna merged with NREGA Intesified Jawhar Rozgar Yojna 1993 was merged with Employment Assurance Scheme 1996 which was later merged with Sampoorna grameen Rozgar Yojna 2001. IRDP , TRYSEM, DWCRA, Million Wells Scheme, SITRA & Ganga kalian Yojna merged with Swaran jayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojna. Rural Landless Employment Guarantee programme merged with Jawahar Rojgar Yojna which was replaced by Jawahar Gram Samridhi Yojna (1999) and Jawahar Gram Samridhi Yojna was merged with Sampoorna grameen Rojgar Yojna (2001)http://www.gktoday.in/history-of-development-employment-programs-in-india-at-a-glance/

National Food Security Mission Share on emailShare on facebookShare on twitterShare on printShare on google June 10, 201127 Comments National Food Security Mission (NFSM) is a Central Scheme of GOI launched in 2007 for 5 years to increase production and productivity of wheat, rice and pulses on a sustainable basis so as to ensure food security of the country. The aim is to bridge the yield gap in respect of these crops through dissemination of improved technologies and farm management practices. Salient Features: According to NFSM report, the total financial implications for the NFSM were to be Rs

4,882.48 crore during the XI Plan (2007-08 2011-12). The implementation of the NFSM would result in increasing the production of rice by 10 million ton, wheat by 8 million ton and pulses by 2 million ton by 2011-12. Restoring soil fertility and productivity at the individual farm level. Creation of employment opportunities and enhancing farm level economy i.e. farm profits to restore confidence amongst the farmers. Beneficiaries can choose to draw loans from the Banks, in which case subsidy amount prescribed for a particular component for which the loan availed will be released to the Banks. Otherwise it is directly allocated to state government which distributes among them. Promotion and extension of improved technologies i.e., seed, Integrated Nutrient Management including micronutrients, soil amendments, IPM and resource conservation technologies along with capacity building of farmers. Subsidies are also given for farm instruments and technologies such as Rotovators, Sprinkler Sets, Multi Crop planters etc. Farmers and their dependents are eligible for this scheme. Productions of breeder seeds are done under ICAR while certified seeds and pulses are implemented by State and District agencies. For wheat and rice, these all are done by State Government agencies at district level or state level. Current Status: The targets of 11th five year exceeded and it was extended to 12th five year plan in 2012. In the 12th Plan, NFSM aims at raising the food grain production by 25 million tones. Besides rice, wheat and pulses, NFSM proposes to cover coarse cereals and fodder crops during the 12th plan period (2012-17). 11th plan covered 15 states under NFSM-Rice, 9 states under NFSM-Wheat and 16 States under NFSM Wheat. Hence, all states were not covered during 11th plan for NFSM. 12th plan aims to cover all the states of India with focus on low productive areas to bridge the yield gaps for additional production while stability in high production areas would be achieved through promotion of conservation agriculture practices. Central government allocated over Rs 1,800 crore to states under the National Food Security Mission (NFSM) in 2012 to raise food grains output by 25 million tones in the 12th Five Year Plan period as the mission was extended with beyond expected output during XI the five year plan. Uttar Pradesh got the maximum amount at Rs 276.9 crore, followed by Madhya Pradesh Rs 226.87 crore and Maharashtra Rs 196 crore.http://www.gktoday.in/national-food-security-mission/

Agricultural Census Share on emailShare on facebookShare on twitterShare on printShare on google May 24, 20133 Comments Under this scheme, centre provides funds to states and thus state do the entire job work. The states don’t need to spend money because Centre provides all (100%) the funds. The first Agriculture Census in the country was conducted with reference year 1970-71. It is done every five years. Primary and Secondary data is collected on structure of operational holdings by different size classes and social groups. Operational Holding refers to all land which is used wholly or partly for agricultural production and is operated as one technical unit by one person alone or with others without regard to the title, legal form, size or location. For the purpose of land use statistics; India has been divided broadly into three categories. In the first category are States where the village revenue agency collects statistics relating to land holdings as a part of land records. This is done by village officials on the basis of actual inspection in the field at periodic intervals. Standard forms have been prescribed for this purpose. These data are then aggregated at the level of Revenue Inspector Circle, Tehsil, District and State by the officers of Revenue/Agriculture Departments. The second category consists of States of West Bengal, Orissa, and Kerala, where revenue agencies do not exists. In these states, information is collected on a sample area under principal crops and land utilisation. This is done by complete field to field enumeration of the sample villages. The third category consists of States and Union Territories mostly in the North-Eastern Region (except Assam) which are neither surveyed for land records nor the requisite revenue agencies for collection of data exist. In these areas the statistics of land records are collected on a sample basis on the basis of personal knowledge of Revenue Officer/Agricultural Officer.http://www.gktoday.in/agricultural-census/

Gramin Bhandaran Yojana / Rural Godown Scheme April 21, 20132 Comments Under this Gramin Bhandaran Yojana or Rural Godown Scheme, government provides supports to an individual, a company, a farmer , local government, NGOs and various associations, if they build or renovate rural godowns. Government will provide 25% of the capital investment made in such a venture. If the Godown is built or renovated by a woman farmer, the government support is 33.33% of the total capital investment (not the total cost which may include some other costs also) Who can get assistance on building new godowns? Individuals, farmers, Group of farmers/growers, Partnership/ Proprietary firms, Non-Government Organizations (NGO’s), Self Help Groups (SHGs), Companies, Corporations, Co-operatives, Local Bodies other than Municipal Corporations, Federations, Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees, Marketing Boards and Agro Processing Corporations in the entire country. Who can get assistance on renovation? Assistance for renovation of rural godowns will, however, be restricted to godowns constructed by cooperatives only. Such godowns should have a capacity to store at least 100 tonnes of grains and maximum 10000 Tonnes to avail the facility. However, if the godown belongs to such an area which badly needs it, government will come forward for same support (25%) for even a 50 Tonne facility. Then, there is also no upper ceiling on subsidy in the case of projects of rural godowns of Cooperatives assisted by NCDC. Please note that in 2011, the Ministry of Agriculture had recommended an enhanced subsidy by proposing to increase the maximum size of godowns eligible for subsidy from 10,000 tonnes to 50,000 tonnes. However, as of now, the maximum limit remains 10000 tonnes. In the Union Budget 2013-14, the government has budgeted an expenditure of ` 313.09 Crore for this scheme. We see that this is a novel scheme with the following objectives: Creation of scientific storage capacity and thus prevention of distress sale Reduction of loss in quantity and quality Creation of additional employment opportunities in rural areas Assistance in the easy procurement of food grains by FCI and other agencies Renovation and upgradation of existing storage capacity created by co-operatives with the assistance of NCDC Encouraging private and co-operative sector investment in the creation of storage infrastructure in the major producing zones and the major consumption zones in the country and reduction in pressure on existing storage facilities with public agencies and co-operatives and reduction in pressure on the transport system in the post harvest periodhttp://www.gktoday.in/gramin-bhandaran-yojana-rural-godown-scheme/

Small Farmers’ Agriculture-Business Consortium (SFAC) Share on emailShare on facebookShare on twitterShare on printShare on google April 21, 20135 Comments Small Farmers’ Agri-Business Consortium (SFAC) was established in 1994. This consortium supports the new ventures in agro-based industries. Support means capital support as Venture Capital Assistance and Project Development Facility. Under the scheme, the eligible entrepreneurs are provided venture capital for those agri-business projects which are to be started with the participation of nationalized banks, SBI and subsidiaries/IDBI. The SFAC funds up to 10% of the total project cost, or 26% of the Total project equity or Rs.75 lakhs whichever is lower. The SFAC also provides support to farmers, Producer Groups, agripreneurs, Units in Agri-Export Zones, Organizations and Agriculture graduates for the preparation of bankable Detailed Project Reports (DPR). Over the period of time, the SFAC has emerged as a Developmental Institution which deals with agriculture in its wider connotation, including fisheries and horticulture. The beneficiaries are agripreneurs (Individuals, farmers, producer groups, partnership, propriety firms, Self Help Groups, companies etc.) to set up agribusiness ventures in close association with banks.http://www.gktoday.in/small-farmers-agriculture-business-consortium-sfac/

Modified National Agriculture Insurance Scheme Share on emailShare on facebookShare on twitterShare on printShare on google April 21, 2013No comments To address the implementation issues of the NAIS, the government launched the Modified National Agriculture Insurance Scheme (MNAIS). Here are some features in contrast with the older NAIS. The Modified NAIS has more crops under its coverage than the NAIS The Modified NAIS does the calculation of premium on actuarial basis. This means that there is

higher premium for riskier crops. Since a farmer would pay actuarial premium to insure his crops, the entire liability of claim is on insurer. Along with the Agriculture Insurance Company (AIC) of India, the Private sector insurers were also allowed to implement this scheme. The Private Player should have adequate infrastructure and experience and selected by the Government of India for implement the scheme. In the previous scheme, the state government had to notify the unit areas. In the MNAIS, the unit area was reduced and fixed to Gram Panchayat Area for major crops. The minimum indemnity level in previous scheme was 60%. In modified scheme it was made to 70%. The calculation of threshold yield was done in previous scheme on the basis of 5 years data, in the new scheme it has been made 7 years so that calculation becomes more precise. The MNAIS envisages that loanee farmers, are to be covered compulsorily for at least equal to the amount of crop loan sanctioned/advanced for notified crops, which may extend upto the value of the threshold yield of the insured crop at the option of insured farmers. Where value of the threshold yield is lower than the loan amount per unit area, the higher of the two is sum insured. Maximum sum insured can be opted up to 150% of value of threshold yield/normal sum insured. Thus, it has been claimed that the modified NAIS has addressed many issues of the previous Scheme. Yet, we have to see about its success.http://www.gktoday.in/modified-national-agriculture-insurance-scheme/

Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme Share on emailShare on facebookShare on twitterShare on printShare on google April 21, 20132 Comments Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme was announced in the Union Budget 2007-08. Objective of the Scheme Weather Based Crop Insurance aims to mitigate the hardship of the insured farmers against the likelihood of financial loss on account of anticipated crop loss resulting from incidence of adverse conditions of weather parameters like rainfall, temperature, frost, humidity etc. Weather Insurance has been piloted in the country since Kharif 2003 season, however  Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme took off from Kharif 2007. Some of the States where it’s piloted are Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan etc. The objectives of the scheme are: To offer insurance security to the farmers against untoward weather incidence, such as shortage and surplus rainfall, high or low temperature, humidity etc. which are held to affect adversely the crop production. It has the vantage of settling the claims within minimum possible time. It is based on actuarial rates of premium but to make the scheme appealing, the premiums actually charged from farmers have been restricted to and made at par with NAIS. The difference between actuarial rates and premium actually paid by farmers are borne by the Government (both Centre and State concerned on 50:50 basis). Besides this a cap on premium payable by farmers for annual commercial/horticultural crops has been provided. Scheme Plan The state and central governments will subsidise the premium 50:50 for WBCIS. Farmers will have to pay 2.5-3 per cent of the premium for Kharif (food and oilseed crops) and 1.5-2 per cent for crops in rabi season. The claims will be fully paid by AIC. Difference Between Crop Insurance & Weather Based Crop Insurance While Crop Insurance specifically indemnifies the cultivator against shortfall in crop yield, Weather based Crop Insurance is based on the fact that weather conditions affect crop production even when a cultivator has taken all the care to ensure good harvest. Historical correlation studies of crop yield with weather parameters help us in developing weather thresholds (triggers) beyond which crop starts getting affected adversely. Payout structures are developed to compensate cultivators to the extent of losses deemed to have been suffered by them using the weather triggers. In other words, “Weather based Crop Insurance uses weather parameters as ‘ proxy’ for crop yields in compensating the cultivators for deemed crop losses” Features: Weather based Crop Insurance Scheme (WBCIS) is a unique Weather based Insurance Product designed to provide insurance protection against losses in crop yield resulting from adverse weather incidences. It provides payout against adverse rainfall incidence (both deficit & excess) during Kharif and adverse incidence in weather parameters like frost, heat, relative humidity, un-seasonal rainfall etc. during Rabi. It is not Yield guarantee insurance. Concept: Weather based Crop Insurance Scheme (WBCIS) operates on the concept of “Area Approach” i.e., for the purposes of compensation, a

‘Reference Unit Area (RUA)’ shall be deemed to be a homogeneous unit of Insurance. This RUA shall be notified before the commencement of the season by the State Government and all the insured cultivators of a particular insured crop in that Area will be deemed to be on par in the assessment of claims. Each RUA is linked to a Reference Weather Station (RWS), on the basis of which current weather data and the claims would be processed. Adverse Weather Incidences, if any during the current season would entitle the insured a payout, subject to the weather triggers defined in the ‘Payout Structure’ and the terms & conditions of the Scheme. The “Area Approach” is as opposed to “Individual Approach”, where claim assessment is made for every individual insured farmer who has suffered a loss. Coverage The coverage of farmers under Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (WBCIS) has gone up from 35,000 in Kharif 2007 to 6.16 million in Kharif 2011. Rs. 972 crore worth claims have been settled so far. The overall coverage under the scheme is 19.5 million farmers over an area of 2.78 crore hectares. During the last five years, i.e.  2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11, and 2011-12 till 27.1.2012 Rs 69.19 crore, Rs. 100.00 crore, Rs.120.00 crore,Rs. 450.00 crore, and Rs. 442 crore respectively have been released as Central Government’s share towards subsidy for premium provided to the farmers.http://www.gktoday.in/weather-based-crop-insurance-scheme_22/

Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna Share on emailShare on facebookShare on twitterShare on printShare on google April 21, 20138 Comments Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (रा�ष्ट्री�य कृ� षि षिकृ�स य�जना�) is a special Additional Central Assistance Scheme which was launched in August 2007 to orient agricultural development strategies, to reaffirm its commitment to achieve 4 per cent annual growth in the agricultural sector during the 11th plan. The scheme was launched to incentivize the States to provide additional resources in their State Plans over and above their baseline expenditure to bridge critical gaps. Contents [hide] Sectors Covered Incentivize the States How states become eligible? How money flows? Composition of SLSC Outlay Sub schemes Sectors Covered The RKVY covers all sectors such as Crop Cultivation, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries, Dairy Development, Agricultural Research and Education, Forestry and Wildlife, Plantation and Agricultural Marketing, Food Storage and Warehousing, Soil and Water Conservation, Agricultural Financial Institutions, other Agricultural Programmes and Cooperation. Incentivize the States RKVY is a State Plan Scheme. How much assistance would be provided to a state from centre would depend upon the amount provided in State Plan Budgets for Agriculture and allied sectors, above a baseline expenditure on these sectors. This means that eligibility of a state for the RKVY is contingent upon the state maintaining or increasing the State Plan expenditure for Agriculture & Allied Sectors. The base line expenditure is determined based on the average expenditure incurred by the State Government during the three years prior to the previous year. The RKVY funds are provided to the states as 100% grant by the Central Government. How states become eligible? The states are mandatorily required to prepare the District and State Agriculture Plans that comprehensively cover resources and indicate definite action plans. States are encouraged to converge the scheme with other programmes such as NREGS, SGSY, BRGF, etc. If the state lowers its investment in the subsequent years, and goes out of the RKVY basket, then the balance resources for completing the projects already commenced would have to be committed by them. RKVY is an incentive scheme so money is not allocated to the states automatically. The more the states encourage the agriculture and allied fields, the more incentive they get from central government. However, high level of flexibility has been provided to the states including at the level of the state Government. How money flows? The Nodal department for the scheme in the states is the State Agriculture Department. The department is required to take appropriate steps for identification of the projects that are important for agriculture, horticulture and allied sector development. If the government of the state is in hurry, it can also constitute an agency by notification for implementation of the RKVY. If the state does so, the funds would be disbursed to this agency but the administrative expenses of such agency can not exceed 1% of total allocation under RKVY. This agency or the state department of agriculture will ensure the preparation of the DAPs (District Action Plans) and preparing the SAP (State Action Plan). A District Agriculture Plan (DAP) for each

district should be formulated as per the Planning Commission guidelines. The DAP should include clear roadmap of the sectors. Then, the comprehensive State Agriculture Plan (SAP) should evolve out of the DAPs. Finalized SAP should be placed by the State Planning Department before the Department of Agriculture /Planning Commission, as a part of the State Plan Exercise. The determination of eligibility is done by Planning Commission. How much money should be allocated is also determined by the Planning Commission. Once the state becomes eligible, the Distribution of Funds is done by the Department of Agriculture (DAC), under the Ministry of Agriculture. The money is released to the state governments. For further flow of the money, the state government is required to create a State Level Sanctioning Committee (SLSC) constituted under the Chairmanship of the Chief Secretary of the concerned State Government/UT. This SLSC approve the projects under RKVY to the agency. Here we should note that the money that is released is in two streams. Up to 75% of the money is released under stream-1 only by the SLSC whereby the money is used for project based funding with definite timelines. For expenditure of this money, states will have to prepare DPRs for undertaking projects that are consistent with the SAPs and DAPs. Rest maximum 25% of the funds can be spend for stregthening the existing schemes. However, there are options that all money is used as per stream-1. Composition of SLSC Please note that the SLSC is chaired by the Chief Secretary of the state and its vice chairman is Principal secretary of agriculture in state departments. It has representations from the DAC, DAHD, and Planning Commission. The quorum for its meeting is incomplete without at least one GoI representative. It must meet in a quarter for at least once. Outlay The total outlay of this scheme was kept ` 25,000 Crore for the 11th plan period in the form of Additional Central Assistance (ACA). Thus it became the biggest scheme in the agriculture sector. Despite the fact that India has not been able to achieve the targeted growth in farm sector, the scheme has been continued with increased outlays and increase number of sub schemes every year. Areas of focus of these schemes has been Seeds, fertilizers, IPM Testing laboratories, Horticulture, Farm Mechanization, Extension, Crops, Marketing and Cooperatives,, animal husbandry etc. Sub schemes At present RKVY has following sub-schemes: Bringing Green Revolution to Eastern India ( BGREI): Targets improvement in the rice based cropping systems of Assam, West Bengal, Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Integrated Development of 60,000 Pulses Villages in Rainfed Areas Promotion of Oil Palm Initiative on Vegetable Clusters Nutri-cereals: To promote balanced nutrition, higher production of bajra, jowar, ragi and other millets will be promoted. National Mission for Protein Supplements: To take up activities to promote animal based protein production through livestock development, dairy farming, piggery, goat rearing and fisheries in selected blocks. Accelerated Fodder Development Programme: To accelerate the production of fodder through intensive promotion of technologies to ensure its availability throughout the year. Rainfed Area Development Programme: This programme aims at improving productivity of crops in rainfed areas. National Saffron Mission: This programme aims at revival of saffron cultivation in Jammu & Kashmir. A new programme called Vidarbha Intensified Irrigation Development Programme was launched with allocation of Rs. 300 Crore. http://www.gktoday.in/rashtriya-krishi-vikas-yojna/

Minimum Support Price Scheme Share on emailShare on facebookShare on twitterShare on printShare on google April 21, 201312 Comments The Minimum Support Prices were announced by the Government of India for the first time in 1966-67 for Wheat in the wake of the Green Revolution and extended harvest, to save the farmers from depleting profits. Since then, the MSP regime has been expanded to many crops. Minimum Support Price is the price at which government purchases crops from the farmers, whatever may be the price for the crops.  The MSP is announced by the Government of India for 25 crops currently at the beginning of each season viz. Rabi and Kharif. Following are the 25 crops covered by MSP: Contents [hide] Kharif Crops Rabicrops Other Crops Rationale How MSP is decided? Note: Price Support Scheme (PSS) for Oil seeds and Pulses

Kharif Crops Paddy Jowar Bajra Maize Ragi Arhar(Tur) Moong Urad Cotton Groundnut Sunflower Seed Soyabeen Black Sesamum Nigerseed Rabicrops Wheat Barley Gram Masur (Lentil) Rapeseed/Mustard Safflower Toria Other Crops Copra De-Husked Coconut Jute Sugarcane Rationale If there is a fall in the prices of the crops, after a bumper harvest, the government purchases at the MSP and this is the reason that the priced cannot go below MSP. So this directly helps the farmers. How MSP is decided? The government decided the support prices for various agricultural commodities after taking into account the following: Recommendations of Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices Views of State Governments Views of Ministries Other relevant factors. Note: Price Support Scheme (PSS) for Oil seeds and Pulses The Department of Agriculture and Cooperation implements the Price Support Scheme for Oil Seeds and Pulses through the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. ( NAFED). NAFED is the nodal procurement agency for Oilseeds and pulses, apart from the Cotton Corporation of India. So, when the prices of oilseeds, pulses and cotton fall below MSP, NAFED purchases them from the farmers.http://www.gktoday.in/minimum-support-prices/

National Horticulture Mission Share on emailShare on facebookShare on twitterShare on printShare on google June 10, 20113 Comments National Horticulture Mission is a centrally sponsored scheme launched in 2005-06, to enhance horticulture production and improve nutritional security and income support to farm households and others through area-based regionally differentiated strategies. The scheme is not available here: Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep 7 North East States and Sikkim

Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand Rest all states and UTs are covered. The North East States, HP, J&K and Uttarakhand are covered under the Technology Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture in the North Eastern States (TMNE). The scheme is not available to coconut and medicinal plants, rest all horticultural crops are covered. For Coconut, there is Coconut Development Board and for medicinal plants, there is National Medicinal Board along with National Mission on Medicinal Plants. NHM is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme in which Government of India contributes 85%, and 15% is met by the State Governments.

Contents [hide] Structure of the National Horticulture Mission Covered Components Plantation Infrastructure and Development-Nurseries, Tissue Culture labs Establishment of New Gardens Rejuvenation of Old and Senile Orchards Other Support Areas Role of Agencies in the National Horticulture Mission Horticulture Mission for North East and Himalayan States (HMNEH)

Structure of the National Horticulture Mission Minister of agriculture is the chairman of this mission and Ministers of Commerce, Health, Finance, Food Processing Industries, Panchayati Raj, Science & Technology, Rural Development, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises are its members.http://www.gktoday.in/national-horticulture-mission/

National Horticulture Mission Share on emailShare on facebookShare on twitterShare on printShare on google June 10, 20113 Comments National Horticulture Mission is a centrally sponsored scheme launched in 2005-06, to enhance horticulture production and improve nutritional security and income support to farm households and others through area-based regionally differentiated strategies. The scheme is not available here: Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep 7 North East States and Sikkim Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand Rest all states and UTs are covered. The North East States, HP, J&K and Uttarakhand are covered under the Technology Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture in the North Eastern States (TMNE). The scheme is not available to coconut and medicinal plants, rest all horticultural crops are covered. For Coconut, there is Coconut Development Board and for medicinal plants, there is National Medicinal Board along with National Mission on

Medicinal Plants. NHM is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme in which Government of India contributes 85%, and 15% is met by the State Governments. Contents [hide] Structure of the National Horticulture Mission Covered Components Plantation Infrastructure and Development-Nurseries, Tissue Culture labs Establishment of New Gardens Rejuvenation of Old and Senile Orchards Other Support Areas Role of Agencies in the National Horticulture Mission Horticulture Mission for North East and Himalayan States (HMNEH) Structure of the National Horticulture Mission Minister of agriculture is the chairman of this mission and Ministers of Commerce, Health, Finance, Food Processing Industries, Panchayati Raj, Science & Technology, Rural Development, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises are its members.   As shown in the above graphics, NHM has a complex structure starting from the General Council and Executive Committee at the National Level to District Mission Committee at the district level. It has a technical support group in which the domain experts have been included at central to management of the Mission. Technical support to Mission at National and State Levels is provided by National Horticulture Board. Covered Components National Horticulture Mission is a flagship scheme and being so, it covers almost all sections of horticulture development from Nursery level to Marketing level. This is shown in the following graphics: http://www.gktoday.in/national-horticulture-mission/

Please note that it works on “Cluster Basis’. This means that the designated authority at the district level would choose a cluster of minimum 100 hectares, seek necessary approval & sanction and utilize the money under the programme -with the aim of achieving the desired goals. These goals are achieved by deploying modern and hi-tech interventions and duly ensuring backward and forward linkages. A Cluster, as contemplated in the NHM, comprises area of not less than 100 hectares under a horticulture crop. The intervention is done in the following components. Plantation Infrastructure and Development-Nurseries, Tissue Culture labs The support is available for setting up a nursery for producing quality plant material. However, nursery should be minimum with 1 hectare in area. The mission does not support establish the new Tissue Culture (TC) units. However, assistance is provided for rehabilitation/ strengthening of existing TC Units subject to a maximum ceiling of Rs.8.00 lakhs in Public sector and Rs.4.00 lakhs for

Private sector. Establishment of New Gardens The farmers can get assistance for 3 years for development of a new garden of a horticulture crop. Rejuvenation of Old and Senile Orchards NHM provides support for rejuvenating senile plantations @ 50% of the cost subject to a maximum ceiling of Rs.15, 000/- per ha limited to 2 ha per beneficiary. Other Support Areas Integrated Pest Management/Integrated Nutrient Management Protected Cultivation Organic Farming Pollination Support through Bee keeping Creation of Water Sources Mechanization HRD ( such as at Krishi Vigyan Kendra) Post Harvest Management Marketing Primary Processing Contract Farming Mushroom Cultivation Precision Farming The scheme documents further say that while selecting the cluster, preference should be given to those areas where natural resource base and water resources have been developed under other government schemes such a Watershed development programmes, Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY), Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS), etc. The following graphics show the salient features of National Horticulture Missionhttp://www.gktoday.in/national-horticulture-mission/

Role of Agencies in the National Horticulture Mission National Horticulture Board (NHB), Gurgaon: NHB at Gurgaon houses the national level Technology Support Group or TSG. Directorate of Cashew and Cocoa Development (DCCD), Kochi: Responsible for plantation crops, other than coconut and areca nut. Directorate of Arecanut and Spices Development (DASD), Calicut: Responsible for areca nut, spices, and aromatic plants. National Committee on Plasticulture Applications in Horticulture (NCPAH), New Delhi: Responsible for precision farming and hitech horticulture through Precision Farming Development Centres (PFDCs). Coconut Development Board (CDB), Kochi: Coconut based intercropping of vegetables etc. ] Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), New Delhi : Development of AgriExport Zones (AEZ) for horticultural crops. Directorate of Marketing & Inspection (DMI), New Delhi: Providing market intelligence and monitoring of programmes relating to marketing of horticulture crops. Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MFPI), New Delhi: Processing of horticultural produce, out of their own budget provision. MFPI will ensure convergence of their schemes with NHM cluster. National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB), New Delhi: Development of medicinal plants in coordination with NHM. National Horticulture Research & Development Foundation (NHRDF), Nasik:

Vegetables and vegetable seeds. Horticulture Mission for North East and Himalayan States (HMNEH) This is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme being implemented in NE states, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.http://www.gktoday.in/national-horticulture-mission/

National Dairy Plan Share on emailShare on facebookShare on twitterShare on printShare on google April 21, 20134 Comments National Dairy Plan (NDP) was drafted by the National Dairy Plan for 14 major dairying states (accounting for more than 90 percent of India’s milk production) on initiatives to launch a scientifically planned programme to increase bovine productivity and milk production. The other objectives are: Making the organized milk market accessible to rural milk producers enhance breeding, feeding and milk procurement The National Dairy Plan has two phases out of which Phase-I has been launched with an outlay of Rs 2,242 crore on April 19, 2012 at National Dairy Development Board, Anand. As in the case of Operation Flood, the NDP is proposed to be implemented by NDDB as a multi state focused with financial assistance largely from the World Bank. Kindly note these points about National Dairy Plan. The unique benefit from the National Dairy Plan-Phase 1 (NDP-1) will be in the increase of milk procurement by co-operatives. The milk procurement from cooperatives at current is 30% and the plan targets to make it 65% in next 15 years. NDP-1 with an outlay of ` 2242 Crore Rupees is a 6 year plan to be implemented in 14 major milk producing states viz. Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. While 80 per cent of the scheme will be financed through International Development Association (IDA) of World Bank, the rest will be funded by the Government of India and implemented by National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) through end implementing agencies (EIA)s in the states. The total outlay for the National Dairy Plan has been set at Rs 17,300 crore. The plan is expected to cover about 1.2 million milk producers in 23,800 villages. NDP is meant to be implemented wholly by the National Dairy Development Board through milk co-operatives and state agencies. As of now, the Private dairy sector has been excluded from the implementation.http://www.gktoday.in/national-dairy-plan/

Marketing Research and Information Network May 24, 2013No comments From 2000-01, the government is working to establish a nationwide information network by providing electronic connectivity to important Agricultural Marketing Boards and Directorates via this MRIN. Its objective is to collect and disseminate the price and market data for efficiently be used by producers. NIC has created a user friendly software package / portal to facilitate organization and transmission of market data which is called AGMARKNET.http://www.gktoday.in/marketing-research-and-information-network/

Central Herd Registration Scheme is for registration of elite cow and buffalo breeds of national importance and provides incentive for rearing of elite cows and male calves. It plays a vital role in sourcing indigenous germplasm required for the National Project for Cattle and Buffalo Breeding. The scheme has a significant role in assisting the Department of Animal Husbandry of States and Union Territories, Private Sector and Government Undertakings in procuring elite dairy cows and buffaloes as well as bulls and progeny of high genetic potential for use in the development programme.http://www.gktoday.in/central-herd-registration-scheme/