Indian agriculture stands at a defining moment today. We have shattered production records in foodgrain and oilseeds, yet the true measure of success can no longer be the metric ton alone. Our goal is nothing less than Viksit Krishi and Samruddh Kisan by 2047. This is not an abstract aspiration. It is built around three commitments: protecting the current season, reducing long-term vulnerability, and transforming the structure of Indian farming itself.
An Uncertain Monsoon
This year has tested our preparedness. The 2026 monsoon arrived late and unevenly, with cumulative rainfall deficits touching 40 percent in parts of the country and around 315 districts identified as vulnerable to low or uneven rainfall—111 of them high-priority districts with irrigation coverage below a quarter of their cropped area. Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Bihar, Jharkhand, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha all faced early anxiety.
But we did not wait for the crisis to unfold. District Agriculture Contingency Plans, prepared jointly with ICAR and state governments, were operationalised well before sowing began, offering farmers crop-specific alternatives, moisture-conservation techniques, and rapid advisories. Weekly monitoring involving district collectors and Krishi Vigyan Kendras allowed us to course-correct in real time rather than after the damage was done. Farmers in delay-affected belts were guided toward short-duration, low-water crops such as maize, bajra, and moong, while cotton and soybean growers were encouraged toward intercropping and mulching.
The results validate this approach: the national rainfall deficit narrowed from 33 percent in June to roughly 24 percent by early July, and the number of deficient districts fell from 262 to 178. We remain watchful—Kharif sowing still trails last year by close to 92 lakh hectares—but the principle stands: every drop of water is precious, and desilting tanks, repairing check dams, and building farm ponds under MGNREGA and Viksit Bharat GRAM must become routine, not emergency, work.
Also Read – How IPS Officer Keshav Kumar Used Forensics to Crack Gujarat’s Lion Poaching Case
Securing the Basics
No contingency plan works without secure inputs. Against a Kharif requirement of about 173 lakh quintals of seed, we have made available 192 lakh quintals, backed by a National Seed Reserve of 1.75 lakh quintals that can be diverted instantly to disaster-hit or rainfall-deficient regions. Quality seed remains the first condition for a good crop, and we are pushing climate-resilient, biofortified varieties into wider circulation.
On fertiliser, despite global supply pressures linked to Middle East tensions, there is no shortage for either the Kharif or Rabi season— as the subsidy burden will be absorbed by government so that urea and DAP remain affordable at the farm gate. Alongside supply, we are campaigning hard against the indiscriminate, un-tested application of fertilisers, which is quietly eroding organic carbon levels in our soil. A renewed Soil Health Card programme, supported by a forthcoming mobile app for on-field nutrient assessment, will ensure nutrients are replenished based on diagnostic data rather than habit.
We are equally intolerant of those who undermine this system through counterfeit inputs. Fake seeds, adulterated fertilisers, and substandard pesticides are acts of national damage, and states have been directed to enforce zero-tolerance inspections. ICAR scientists are developing simple, affordable field kits so that any farmer can verify an input’s authenticity before sowing.
From Science to Soil
If farmers are the soul of agriculture, our scientists are its brain—but a brain disconnected from the body serves no purpose. Through the Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan, scientists are moving out of laboratories and into the fields to disseminate modern varieties and practices directly. Under a “One Institute-One Grand Innovation” mandate, every ICAR institute must deliver at least one scalable breakthrough within two years, whether a climate-resilient seed, an indigenous vaccine, or a practical digital tool. Our target is to place cutting-edge technology and disease-resistant seed varieties in the hands of 100 million farmers by ICAR’s centenary, turning local Krishi Vigyan Kendras into hubs for technology demonstration and rural startups.
What Success Means…
Quantity is no longer enough; food must strengthen public health, not undermine it. This is why we are championing natural and integrated farming, encouraging farmers to shift a meaningful share of their land toward low-chemical practices using traditional inputs like Jeevamrit—already adopted by more than 20 lakh farmers. Clean Plant Centres in regions like Malda and Lucknow are supplying certified, disease-free saplings to lift India’s horticultural exports to global standards.
Self-reliance in pulses, oilseeds, and cotton remains a mission priority, reducing import dependence while stabilising farmer incomes. And through PRAGATI, launched in July 2026, we aim to train 20,000 rural youth as agri-entrepreneurs to support 20 lakh smallholders with advisories, machinery access, and market linkages—targeting income gains of up to 30 percent.
Rules Must Serve Farmers
Governance itself must change. Farmers are not meant to serve rules; rules must serve farmers. That means simpler paperwork, faster crop insurance payouts, and fewer bureaucratic delays.
We are inviting corporate India to move beyond token philanthropy into genuine trusteeship—channelling CSR resources into rural skilling, Drone Didi expansion, and technologies like mechanised jute extraction that save millions of litres of water. ICAR itself is being pushed toward self-reliance, with a target of generating ₹10,000 crore in internal revenue by 2029 through technology licensing, supported by an Open Digital Knowledge Platform that gives startups free access to public research and real-time agricultural data.
Women at the Centre
The Drone Didi initiative reflects a deeper conviction: rural women’s Self-Help Groups are the logistical backbone of tomorrow’s agricultural economy. Training women to operate agricultural drones for monitoring and precision spraying places them at the very centre of the rural technology transition, not at its margins.
Viksit Gram for Viksit Nation
The Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) [VB-G RAM G] Act, 2025, implemented nationwide from 1 July 2026, replaces MGNREGA as the new rural employment framework. Its most visible change is the increase in the employment guarantee from 100 to 125 days per rural household annually. It also shifts the focus from merely providing employment to creating durable rural assets integrated with PM Gati Shakti and Viksit Gram Panchayat Plans.
Another major difference is the financing pattern. While MGNREGA largely placed the wage burden on the Centre, VB-G RAM G introduces a 60:40 Centre-State funding model (90:10 for North-Eastern and Himalayan states). The new framework also emphasises digital governance through geospatial planning, biometric attendance, AI-enabled monitoring and outcome-based implementation. The Union Budget for the scheme is around ₹95,692 crore, reflecting the government’s intent to align rural employment with the Viksit Bharat@2047 vision.
A Shared Mission
Over 9.76 crore Farmer IDs have already been created, linking land records, livestock data, and scheme benefits onto one digital platform—cutting paperwork and ensuring subsidies and insurance reach those they are meant for. At BRICS forums, we have carried this thinking abroad, championing agroecology and farmers’ seed rights on the global stage.
The coming seasons will test all of this. But the groundwork is real, and the direction is clear: an agriculture sector built on science, protected by preparedness, and powered by the dignity and prosperity of the farmer. As I often remind my colleagues, true life belongs to the one who gives life to others—and no one gives more life to this nation than the farmer who tills its soil.
(Compiled with recent speeches of Shri Shivraj Singh Chauhan)
Also Read – How Ramsundar M Turned Rajgir Zoo Safari Into a Tech-Driven Wildlife Experience
