The Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development, and Farmers’ Welfare in the Union The message from Shivraj Singh Chouhan was to expand “Khet Bachao Abhiyan” beyond an awareness campaign and into a full-scale national initiative that links farmers, villages, and fields. At a high-level meeting in Delhi today to discuss campaign preparations, Shivraj Singh said that the campaign’s main goals are promoting efficient and balanced use of fertilisers, providing farmers with timely advice in light of weather-related challenges, encouraging active participation at the panchayat level, and delivering the benefits of the schemes directly to the villages.
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has ordered officials to prioritise saving farms, balancing costs, and providing farmers with timely and accurate information in order to make the month-long “Khet Bachao Abhiyan” (beginning June 1) effective and result-oriented. He declared that a top-down approach will not be used to run the campaign. Panchayat, State, and Centre shall work together instead.
The primary goal of the campaign, according to Union Minister Shivraj Singh, who spoke at the gathering, will be to reduce the careless use of chemical fertilisers. The objective is to raise awareness among farmers regarding the importance of using soil tests to determine the optimal amount of fertiliser and other agricultural inputs, with the hope that this will encourage them to use more organic, bio-products, and green manures. Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) live demonstrations are also on the agenda.
In light of weather-related worries, Minister of Agriculture Chouhan stressed that practical guidance will be delivered to farmers in the coming days. Dos and don’ts, best crop choices, diversifying crops, and farming in the face of water scarcity or risk will all be constructively suggested. The campaign’s goal is to provide farmers with situationally appropriate guidance at the farm level, rather than merely conveying a message.
The Union Minister further mentioned that the campaign will have a solid basis at the panchayat level during the meeting. Under this campaign, he ordered the officials to disperse mechanisation machinery and highlight the advantages of government initiatives and programs to the panchayat level.
The campaign will have a broader reach than only departments, according to Chouhan. We will reach out to state chief ministers and work to get ministers, lawmakers, and other public figures involved so that this campaign becomes a strong example of public engagement rather than just an administrative initiative. He asserted that this strategy will infuse the campaign with early political, social, and local vitality.
During the conference, it was announced that KVKs will be serving as the institutions’ primary coordinators. Roughly 1,600 groups have been organised. For 100 districts with overly fertiliser usage, a total of 500 teams have been formed. Scientists from KVKs, ICAR institutes, AICRP centers, and the Agriculture Department will make up the teams. Along with that, around 1,150 interdisciplinary teams from ICAR institutes and KVKs will be working in tandem.
IMage Credit: PIB
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