The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India, is launching a nationwide campaign titled ‘Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan’ (VKSA – Mission for Developed Agriculture). This campaign will run from 29th May to 12th June 2025 across all states and union territories of India.
The campaign aims to connect agricultural scientists directly with farmers at the grassroots level, especially in rural, border, and underserved regions, to prepare them for the upcoming Kharif cropping season.
As part of this initiative, the ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute (ICAR-SBI), Coimbatore organized an Orientation Workshop for scientists deputed to participate in the campaign. The workshop was held at the institute’s premises on 27th May 2025.
Inaugurating the workshop, Dr. P. Govindaraj, Director of ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute, highlighted that the campaign would be implemented by 113 ICAR research institutes, 731 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), agricultural universities, and various state departments of agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, and fisheries.
He urged scientists to engage in meaningful interactions with farmers, helping them understand region-specific Kharif crops and adopt improved agronomic practices. Under the overarching theme ‘Lab-to-Land’, VKSA seeks to empower every Indian farmer through cutting-edge innovations, scientific farming methods, and timely support systems. Dr. Govindaraj also emphasized the importance of sensitizing farmers to government schemes and agricultural development policies.
Punitha, Deputy Director of Agriculture (Government of India Schemes), Coimbatore district, gave a detailed presentation on various Central and State Government schemes. These included: Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY), National Food Security & Nutrition Mission (NFSNM) – Pulses and Nutricereals, Soil Health Card Scheme, Integrated Farming System, School Soil Health Card Programme, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayi Yojana, Tamil Nadu Millet Mission
Ramya, Farm Sector Technical Officer, and Daisyrani Gogoi, Branch Manager, State Bank of India (Veerakeralam branch), addressed the financial avenues available to farmers through nationalized banks. They highlighted schemes that support: Seed production, Establishment of processing units, Availing benefits under the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) scheme, among others
Dr. D. Puthira Prathap, Principal Scientist & Nodal Officer, VKSA, outlined the campaign’s objectives and strategy during his presentation. He also detailed several schemes for sugarcane farmers being implemented by the Department of Sugar and the State Agricultural Engineering Department, such as: Special incentives, Subsidies for seed material purchase, Assistance for wide-row planting, Trash shredding and mulching, Financial support for purchasing machinery and setting up custom hiring centres.
Dr. Prathap also announced that ICAR-SBI scientists are being deputed to 16 districts of Tamil Nadu and one district in Puducherry to actively participate in the VKSA campaign.
An interactive session followed the presentations, during which participating scientists raised queries and received clarifications from the presenters. The workshop concluded with a vote of thanks proposed by Dr. C. Palaniswami, Principal Scientist & Coordinator, VKSA.
