House panel expresses concern over 30% staff gaps in Krishi Vigyan Kendras

A parliamentary committee on agriculture has expressed concerns over the 30 per cent staff shortage in Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), which is “affecting their core functions”.

 

KVKs are the frontline of agriculture extension and are run by a plethora of organisations, starting from state agriculture universities (SAUs) to even social organisations and state governments.

 

Recently, the Union agriculture ministry along with Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and other associations undertook a fortnight-long campaign to understand and address farmers’ issues and their concerns. The over 730 KVKs across the country were at the forefront of the campaign.

 

In its report on “Promotion of Climate Resilient Agriculture, and Natural & Organic Farming through KVKs”, which was tabled in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, the Parliamentary Committee on Estimates said that the agriculture ministry’s decision to increase staff strength from 16 to 20 per KVK is a welcome step but it will be ineffective without prompt recruitment.

 

The panel said that the ministry should urgently address disparities in service conditions across KVKs by revising the memorandum of understanding (MoU) for non-ICAR KVKs — especially those hosted by SAUs and other organisations — to align their service conditions and benefits with those of ICAR KVK employees. 

 

It also said that the agriculture ministry needs to chalk out a robust and consistent funding strategy with long-term vision for the development of KVKs.

 

The committee said while the proposed one-time grant of ₹2,500 crore may provide some immediate relief, it cannot serve as a substitute for predictable annual funding, reflecting the evolving needs of KVKs.

 

The report also said that the current level of financial support of ₹31,500-46,500 per hectare over three years is grossly inadequate for farmers to transition towards organic farming due to low yields and economic strain.

 

It batted for increased direct benefit transfer (DBT) for organic farming and also for continued support for a longer period of time. The report said that due to budget constraints, only 151 out of 310 districts, which are highly and very highly vulnerable to climate change, have been selected for National Innovations in Climate Resistant Agriculture (NICRA) adaptation activities.

 

While acknowledging the importance of natural farming (NF) as a chemical-free, sustainable practice promoted under the National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF), the House panel underscored the need for a standardised yet adaptable protocol, and recommended expanding NF beyond the Ganga corridor to ecologically sensitive and degraded regions.