New Delhi, June 24 (IANS) Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan chaired a high-level review meeting on the ‘Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan’ at ICAR Pusa Campus, New Delhi, on Tuesday.

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. Chouhan described the campaign as a historic movement in independent India, inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Lab to Land’ vision, which connected scientists with over 60,000 villages.

The Minister emphasised 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 mechanisation, along with focused efforts on soil health, coastal agriculture, and animal husbandry.

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 prioritisation, 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 finalise the upcoming action plan.

The campaign aimed to analyse 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.

Shyam Singh Rana, Agriculture Minister, Haryana; Devesh Chaturvedi, Secretary, MoA&FW; Dr M. L. Jat, Secretary (DARE) and 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.

–IANS

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