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DIRECTION Institute For IAS Exam

AGRICULTURE

Agriculture is the principal source of livelihood for more than 58% of the

population of this country.

The comined efforts of !entral "overnment# State "overnments and farming

community have succeeded in achieving record production of $.&8 million

tonnes of foodgrains during $'(')((.

This record production has een achieved through effective transfer of latest

crop production technologies to farmers under various crop development

schemes eing implemented y the *epartment of Agriculture + !ooperation.

Major programmes of Department of Agriculture

Rashtria !rishi "i#as $ojana, This Scheme# launched in $''&)'8 -ith an

outlay of s.$5#''' crores for the /Ith plan# has succeeded in incentivi0ing

States to allocate more funds to agriculture and allied sectors.

States have ta1en up over 5$2' pro3ects in last five years across all segments ofagriculture and allied sectors.

National %oo& 'ecurit Mission ( The salient aspect of the 4ission is that it

has een conceptuali0ed to target those districts -hich have lo-er productivity

than the State average ut have the potential to augment the productivity and

production of three crops# i.e. ice# heat and 6ulses.

7e- farm practices have een encouraged through 5.&2 la1h demonstrations of

improved pac1age of practices on ice# -heat and 6ulses.

Aout (''.&' la1h ha area has een treated -ith soil ameliorants

gypsum9lime9micro nutrients etc.: to restore soul fertility for higher

productivity. National )am*oo Mission ( In order to harness the potential of amoo crop#

*epartment of Agriculture + !ooperation# 4inistry of Agriculture has launched

a !entrally Sponsored Scheme called ;7ational )'&

-ith a total outlay of s.5>8.$? crores.

Important activities eing supported for increasing productivity and @uality of

amoo under the 4ission are increasing area under amoo cultivation# mass

production of @uality planting material of recommended species# improvement

of existing stoc1# pest and disease management# improved post)harvest

management# development of human resource and of mar1eting facilities.

Agriculture Cre&it ( The target of douling of the flo- of agricultural credit

in three years -ith ase year as $''?)' has een achieved in t-o years and

agricultural credit flo- reached s.?85( crores during $''2)(' forming

((8% of the target.

hile India -as not a significant exporter of any agricultural products in (22>

except plantation crops:# India is no- a significant agricultural exporter of rice#

cotton# oil meals# eggs and meat.

!isan Cre&it Car& ( To provide ade@uate and timely support from the an1ing

system to the farmers for their cultivation needs a model Bisan !redit !ard

Scheme B!!: -as introduced in August# (228 for short and medium term loan

and -as extended further -ith effect from ?(.(.$''> covering all types of loan

re@uirement of orro-ers of State !ooperative Agriculture ural *evelopment

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'pecial Reha*ilitation +ac#age for &istresse& farmers ( "overnment of India

has implemented a Special ehailitation 6ac1age of s.(>2&8.>2 crores for ?(

suicide prone *istricts in the four States# namely# Andhra 6radesh# 4aharashtra#

Barnata1a and Berala.

As on ?'.'>.$'(( s.(22('.&' crores have een released to these States for

implementation of the pac1age.

Agriculture Insurance ,7ational Agricultural Insurance Scheme 7AIS: -ith

increased coverage of crops# ris1 and farmers is eing implemented for

estalishing ? !entres of Excellence at *irectorate of Sorghum esearch#

Cyderaad for Sorghum# !!ACAD# Cissar for pearl millet and !I6CET#

udhiana for small millets.

Agricultural Mar#eting (The "overnment has een playing an important role

in developing Agricultural 4ar1eting System in the country.

Directorate of Mar#eting an& Inspection ,The *irectorate of 4ar1eting and

Inspection *4I: an attached ffice of 4inistry of Agriculture -as set up in the

year (2?5 to implement agricultural mar1eting policies and programmes of the!entral "overnment.

It maintains a close liaison et-een !entral and State "overnment in

implementation of agricultural mar1eting policies in the country.

'tan&ar&i-ation an& Gra&ing , The Agricultural 6roduce "rading +

4ar1eting: Act# (2?& provides for grading and mar1ing of agricultural and

other produce.

The Act empo-ers !entral "overnment to ma1e ules for a: fixing grade

designation to indicate @uality of any scheduled article : defining indicated y

every grade designation and c: specifying grade designation mar1s to represent

particular grade designations.

Standards notified as per provisions of the Act are popularly called A"4AB

Standards that differentiate et-een @uality and $)? grades and prescried for

each commodity.

"rading and mar1ing of agricultural commodities is voluntary as per provisions

of the Act.

As on date# ('8 !ommodities "rading and 4ar1ing ules covering $'5

agricultural commodities have een notified under provisions of A6 "+4: Act

(2?&.

.orticulture , Corticulture includes a -ide range of crops such as fruits#

vegetales# root and tuer crops# flo-ers# aromatic and medicinal plants# spices

and plantation crops# and facilities diversification in agriculture.

There is a gro-ing reali0ation that horticulture is no- an option to improve

livelihood security# enhance employment generation# attain food and nutritional

security and increase incomes through value addition.

National .orticulture Mission (This !entrally Sponsored Scheme# launched

in $''5)'> aims at the holistic development of horticulture sector y ensuring

for-ard and ac1-ard lin1ages through a cluster approach# -ith the active

participation of all sta1e)holders.

This mission covers all States and three Dnion Territories of Andaman 7icoar

Islands# a1shad-eep and 6uducherry# except the 7orth Eastern and Cimalayan

States# -hich and covered under the Corticulture 4ission for 7orth East +Cimalayan States C47EC:.

$

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7C4 promotes horticulture through area ased# regionally differentiated

strategies.

Supply of @uality planting material through estalishment of nurseries and

tissue culture units# production and productivity improvement programmes

through area expansion and re3uvenation# technology promotion# technology

dissemination# human resource development# creation of infrastructure for post)harvest management and mar1eting in consonance -ith the comparative

advantages of each state9region and their diverse agro)climatic conditions are

ma3or programmes of the 4ission.

Rainfe& area 'stems , ainfed area assumes special significance in terms of

ecology# agricultural productivity and livelihood for millions of rural

households in India.

ainfed agriculture is complex# diverse and ris1 prone. It is characteri0ed y

lo- level of productivity and input usage -hich coupled -ith vagaries of

monsoon result in -ide variation and instaility in yields.

eali0ing importance of rainfed areas# a fresh flux of interest has eencalirated into programmes9schemes focusing on three important dimensions

li1e ecological restoration# productivity enhancement and drought mitigation.

National /atershe& De0elopment +roject for Rainfe& areas 1N/D+RA2 (

This -as launched in (22')2( in $8 States and $ Dnion Territories ased on

t-in concepts of integrated -atershed management and sustainale farming

systems.

This programme specially focuses on

(. conservation# development and sustainale management of natural resourcesG

$. enhancement of agricultural production and productive in a sustainale

mannerG

?. restoration of ecological alance in degraded and fragile rainfed ecosystems

y greening these areas through and appropriate mix of trees# shrus and

grassesG

. reduction in regional disparity irrigated and rainfed areasG and

5. creation of sustained employment opportunities for rural community

including landless.

Cooperati0e 'ector , The !ooperative Sector has een playing a significant

role in the area of disursing inputs and imparting cooperative education and

training.

The asic o3ective of !ooperation *ivision is to design long term and short

term strategies for reducing economic disparities et-een do-ntrodden ruralpeople and rural rich as -ell as regional imalances including rural and uran

differences.

COO+ERATI"E 'TROAGE AND COLD 'TROAGE

'torage , The *epartment of Agriculture and !ooperation *A!:# through

7!*!# has een ma1ing systematic and sustained efforts to assist cooperatives

in creating additional storage capacity aimed at facilitating expanded operations

of cooperative mar1eting of agriculture produce# distriution of inputs and sale

of consumer articles.

Col& 'torage ( It has een providing financial assistance through State

"overnment and also directly to cooperative societies for estalishment of !old

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Storages aimed at facilitating expanded shelf life of potatoes and other fruits

and vegetales.

Drought Management (Beeping in vie- impact of drought on agricultural

economy# *A! closely monitors progress of South)est 4onsoon in the

country# in close coordination -ith India 4eteorological *epartment I4*: and

1eeps -atch over deficit rainfall conditions in the country. The department remains in touch -ith State "overnments and supplements their

efforts in the -a1e of drought.

Animal .us*an&r3 Dairing 4 %isheries , The *epartment of Animal

Cusandry# *airying + Fisheries is responsile for matters relating to livestoc1

production# preservation# protection + improvement of stoc1s# dairy

development# matters relating to the *elhi 4il1 Scheme and the 7ational *airy

*evelopment

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Department of Agricultural Research an& E&ucation , The *epartment of

Agricultural esearch and Education# set up in (2&? in the 4inistry of

Agriculture# facilitates lin1ages of I!A for international co)operation in the

field of agricultural research and education.

Agricultural Research3 E&ucation an& E5tension , The Indian !ouncil of

Agricultural esearch I!A: provided the critical technological inputs forvarious processes of agriculture that led the highest ever food production of all

component of cereals# pulses# fruits and vegetales# meat# mil1# fish and eggs

during $'(()($.

Natural Resource Management , The 7atural esource 4anagement

programme offers innovative management system for efficient utili0ation and

conservation of natural resources# especially related to agriculture# -ater# forest#

iodiversity# and soil management.

I!A scientists are developing ne- methods# ne- technologies and ne-

1no-ledge for etter soil and -ater management practices# improved cropping

systems and etter crop management. 'oil an& /ater +ro&ucti0it , The area that needs attention is the management

of -ater# -hich is going to e proaly the scarcest factor in the t-enty)first

century.

At the individual farms in rainfed production systems# iochar fine)grained

caroni0ed materials:# developing from the crop residues# has sho-n the

potential to se@uester caron and increase crop productivity and sustainaility of

the soil systems.

Climate Change , The I!A has launched ;7ational Initiative on !limate

esilient Agriculture= -ith the o3ective of underta1ing strategic research on

climate change adaptation and mitigation# technology demonstration on

farmers= field to cope -ith the current climate viaility and capacity uilding of

different stoc1holders on climate change a-areness.

Agriculture Engineering an& +ost,.ar0est Technolog , The farm

mechani0ation has played a critical role in improving agricultural production as

-ell as productivity through timeliness of field operations and y enaling

proper and efficient use of inputs.

+ost,.ar0est Management an& "alue,a&&ition , A 3uteglass hyrid faric

-as developed to mould products such as fittings for automoiles.

*evelopment of a fire segregator has opened up a ne- avenue for utili0ation of

finer coconut fires for value)added products.

6ac1aging of soy)paneer in retortale pouches and autoclaving extended theshelf)life y (8 days at room temperature and 5 days under refrigeration.

*igital radiography# !T and 4I imaging techni@ues -ere developed to detect

presence of seed -eevils in mango.

In papaya and pineapple# osmotic dehydration to the moisture levels of (?)(5%

prevented ro-ning and enhanced the shelf)life.

Animal 'cience , The Animal Sciences facilitated need ased research in

ongoing and emerging areas of livestoc1 and poultry sector to denote

productivity increase# reduce gap et-een potential and actual yield# and to

prepare the country for the challenges of gloali0ation.

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The development of technologies -as done to support production enhancement#

profitaility# competitiveness and sustainaility of livestoc1 and poultry sector

for providing food and nutritional security to Indian masses.

%isheries , Sustainale gro-th of Indian fisheries and a@uaculture y

interfacing research# education and extension resulted in a proper fit et-een

the human needs and the haitat# -ith an important role in gloal fisheries.

%ish Management , The marine fish landing statistics of the !entral 4arine

Fisheries esearch Institute# Bochi -as recogni0ed as official statistics of the

"overnment of India.

Farm)pond emerged as the most profitale landshaping model -ith highest

enefit.

Agricultural E&ucation , The I!A promotes research# education and

extension in 5$ State Agricultural Dniversities# five *eemed Dniversities# and

four !entral Dniversities -ith Agricultural faculty y giving financial assistance

in different forms.

Information3 Communication an& +u*licit 'er0ices , The *irectorate ofBno-ledge 4anagement in Agriculture is committed to promote Information#

!ommunication Technology and information dissemination system for @uic1#

effectual and cost)effective delivery of messages to all the sta1eholders in

agriculture.

Beeping pace -ith the current 1no-ledge diffusion trends# *irectorate is

delivering and sho-casing I!A technologies# policies and other activities

through print# electronic and -e mode.

The I!A technologies -ere sho-cased in $( national conferences and fairs

across the country and in a first of its 1ind# participated in the overseas trade fair

at 4uscat# man.

I+ portfolio management , The I!A no- has a corporate platform# ;Agri)

Innovative India imited= for technology commerciali0ation and consultancy at

home and aroad.

;eather !oc1= soft-are pac1age# capale of agro)meteorological analysis to

understand possile impacts of climate change on crop performance# -as

developed and registered.

%uture Thrust Areas , The Indian !ouncil of Agricultural esearch=s emphasis

-ould e on research and development for enhancing oth productivity and

profitaility of farming in all its dimensions# including climate resilient

agriculture and secondary agriculture and also @uality human resource

development# through greater synergy and partnerships. The T-elfth 6lan contains all measures that are re@uired to accelerate our

agricultural gro-th rate.

India currently spends aout '.>% of its agricultural gross domestic products

"*6: on agricultural esearch and *evelopment.

This needs to e enhanced at least $)to ?)fold y $'$'# since a sustantial

portion of our agricultural gro-th -ould come through the application of ne-

technologies and ne- 1no-ledge to production processes.

ENERG$

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Energy is an essential input for economic development and improving the

@uality of life.

*evelopment of conventional forms of energy for meeting the gro-ing energy

needs of society at a reasonale cost is the responsiility of the "overnment.

7uclear energy development is eing geared up to contriute significantly to the

overall energy availaility in the country.

+O/ER

ith the formation of State Electricity

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to the grid# installation and operation of meters# concurrence of hydro)electric

schemes# safety and grid standards.

It also ma1es studies for the optimum location of dams and other river -or1s

1eeping in vie- the norms regarding dam design and safety.

It promotes and assists in the timely completion of schemes and pro3ects for

improving and augmenting the electricity system y carrying out a closemonitoring of the construction# generation and transmission pro3ects to ensure

their timely completion y identifying ottlenec1s and prolem areas and

initiating remedial measures9actions.

!ollection and recording the data concerning the generation# transmission#

trading# distriution and utilisation of electricity and carrying out studies

relating to cost# efficiency# competitiveness# etc.# are important functions of the

!EA.

The !EA facilities exchange of po-er -ithin the country from surplus to deficit

regions and -ith neighouring countries for mutual enefits.

It actively participates in po-er supply restoration process in case of occurrenceof unfortunate incidents of destruction caused due to

drought9cyclone9floods9tsunami# etc.# in various parts of the country.

The !EA renders consultancy services in the planning and design of hydro#

thermal and transmission pro3ects.

The Electricit Act3 7889) The provisions of the Act have een rought into

force -ith effect from (' une $''?.

The !entral "overnment estalished Appellate Triunal for Electricity under the

Section# ((' of the Electricity Act# $''? on & April $''.

The 7ational Electricity 6olicy has een notified y the "overnment under the

Act !ompetitive idding guidelines has een issued y the "overnment. $? States have set up Special !ourts under section (5? of the Electricity Act

$''?.

ACCELERATED +O/ER DE"ELO+MENT AND RE%ORM' +ROGRAMME

The main o3ective of the programme is creation of reliale and sustainale data

ase# demonstrale performance in terms of AT+! loss reduction to elo- (5%

at to-n level on sustained asis and improved services.

Re,structure& A+DR+ for ::th+lan , !ainet !ommittee on Economic Affairs

!!EA: approved the ;estructured A6*6= for ((th6lan as a !entral Sector

Scheme in its meeting held on ?( uly $''8.

The focus of the programme is on actual# demonstrale performance in terms of

AT+! loss reduction.

The aim of the scheme is to reduce the AT+! losses up to (5 per cent in pro3ect

areas.

6o-er Finance !orporation 6F!: is the nodal agency for operationalising the

programme.

T.ERMAL GENERATION +RO;ECT'

ith the enactment of Electricity Act# $''?# a -hole ne- system -as evolved

-here private players -ere invited to e an active participant in the po-er

sector.

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In order to facilitate procurement of po-er through competitive idding# the

"overnment has issued guidelines for tariff ased competitive idding.

The "overnment has also set up Special 6urpose Jehicle under 6o-er Finance

!orporation 6F!: for collective procurement of po-er on ehalf of the

distriution utilities y inviting tariff ased ids for supplying po-er from ultra

mega po-er pro3ects.

The private sector has responded enthusiastically to the opening up to the po-er

mar1et and a sustantial amount of generating capacity is coming up through

I66s in coal# lignite# gas and hydro po-er pro3ects.

"overnment of India is ma1ing its est efforts to facilitate this process to help

the independent po-er producers to overcome various challengers in the -ay of

pro3ect implementation.

Transmission 'ector , Efforts are eing made to ring competition in

development of inter)State transmission system through private participation.

For encouraging and streamlining the process of private sector participation#

"overnment of India rought out ;"uidelines for encouraging competition indevelopment of Transmission services=# Standard e@uest for Kualification

FK: document for selection of transmission Service provider# and TSA.

6o-er Finance !orporation 6F!: and ural Electrification !orporation F!:

have een nominated as nodal agencies to act as

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