Farm Min's flagship programme set for revamp

The scheme is credited for significantly improving Indias foodgrains production since its launch in 2007

The agriculture ministry’s flagship programme, the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) is in for a complete make over both in terms of size and content to make it more relevant to changing needs in the 12th Five-Year Plan.

The scheme which has credited for significantly improving India’s foodgrains production since its launch in 2007. Data from the department of agriculture shows that since 2007-08, India’s annual food grains production has risen from 230 million tonnes to around 260 million tonnes.

The basic characteristics of the scheme is to incentivize states to increase public investment in agriculture and give the states freedom to prepare their own agriculture plans for districts and localities based on agro-climatic conditions, availability of technology and natural resources.

Officials said the grassroots planning mechanism in the scheme has been the real game-changer in terms of results. In the 12 th  five-year plan that has started from April 1, 2012, the total outlay for the scheme has been pegged at Rs 63,000 crore over a period of five years, almost 150 per cent crore more than the outlay in the 11 th  five-year plan.

Official documents show that of the outlay of Rs 25,000 crore in the 11th Five-Year Plan, around Rs 23,000 was allocated to states for various schemes under RKVY and around Rs 21,000 crore spent by them on various schemes to boost farming.

Almost 5,743 projects were taken up under the scheme in the 11th Five-Year Plan by different state governments. In the 12 th  five-year plan, the scheme will follow some broad guidelines. Officials said under the new plan, of the total Rs 63,000 crore allocated for the scheme , 40 per cent is proposed to be earmarked for increasing production and productivity, 40% for development of agriculture infrastructure and assets and the remaining 20 per cent only on the focused schemes like Bringing Green Revolution in Eastern India (BGREI) aimed at pushing up grains production in eastern states etc.