Revamped agri scheme faces 1-year delay

The Union ministry of agriculture has decided to delay the rollout of the revamped Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) by a year, to the next financial year (2013-14).

Official sources said the ministry proposed to continue all its existing schemes under its flagship programme, RKVY, in the current financial year. The new plan approved by the planning commission has recommended pruning the number of schemes for better coordination.

Officials said the ministry had already started working towards consolidating its 50-odd schemes into a dozen according to the Planning Commission recommendation, but the revamped scheme could not be implemented right now. They explained various stakeholders like state governments or coordinating agencies and banks were yet to be informed of the changes and the kharif season is to start soon. At this point of time, if revamped schemes will be implemented, it would create a lot of confusion among the stakeholders, and farmers would be harassed. Therefore, it has been decided the old schemes will continue this year and side by side, preparations will start for implementing the schemes in the new form by next financial year, said officials.

For the new Plan period, 2012-17, the ministry proposes to revamp RKVY to adopt a focused approach towards each sector and avoid a multiplicity of schemes. The number of schemes will be pruned to a dozen, without diluting the objective of schemes.

Besides, various schemes announced earlier, being administered under various departments, will be consolidated.

Schemes operating independently and may be brought under RKVY are those on green revolution to the eastern region, integrated development of 60,000 pulses villages in rain-fed areas, promotion of palm oil, initiative on vegetable clusters and nutri-cereals national mission for protein supplements, among others.

In its new form, the scheme will support a new objective of asset creation along with its current job of funding project and schemes. Allocation will be spread across four to five years, rather than a yearly allocation.

Officials explained that funding to states under RKVY will be made proportional to the growth of agriculture in that particular state.

They said except for seeds, fertilisers, plant protection scheme and agricultural implements and machinery, all other schemes have shown good performance.

Some of the schemes which are proposed to be scrapped after a proper evaluation are the Technology Mission of Integrated Development of Horticulture in north-eastern states, Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, agri-clinic and agri-business centres scheme, macro-management of agriculture.

RKVY was launched in 2007 with the objective of achieving four per cent annual growth in the agricultural sector during the 11th Plan.