Context:
ICAR Celebrating Golden Jubilee of Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs)
Krishi Vigyan Kendras:
- First established in – 1974 at Puducherry
- Established by – Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR).
- Recommended by – Education Commission (1964-66)
- Part of – National Agricultural Research System (NARS)
- Objective – Assessment of location specific technology modules in agriculture and allied enterprises, through technology assessment, refinement and demonstrations.
- Funding – 100% financed by the Government of India
- Key Activities –
- On-farm testing to identify the location specificity of agricultural technologies
- Helped in implementing in-situ Crop Residue Management programme
- KVKs are linked with Common Service Centres (CSCs) programmes, promoting access of government services to farmer.
- Present Status – At present there are 721 KVKs, out of which 498 are under State Agricultural Universities (SAU) and Central Agricultural University (CAU)
Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR):
- ICAR – It is a registered society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
- Established in – 1929
- Status – Autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
- Headquarters – New Delhi
- Mandate – Apex body for coordinating, guiding and managing research and education in agriculture including horticulture, fisheries and animal sciences.
- ‘Kisan Diwas’ or National Farmers Day – 23rd December (to celebrate the birth anniversary of Chaudhary Charan Singh, the former Prime Minister of India)
Source: ICAR
Previous Year Question
What is/are the advantages/advantages of implementing the ‘National Agriculture Market’ scheme?
1. It is a pan-India electronic trading portal for agricultural commodities.
2. It provides the farmers’ access to a nationwide market, with prices commensurate with the quality of their produce.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
[UPSC Civil Service Exam – 2017 Prelims]
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: (c)
