The budget allocates Rs 300 crores under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) for this scheme. This project will supplement the ongoing work on pulses development under the National Food Security Mission. There is also an emphasis on building institutions that would provide market linkage to the grower of pulses. The states of M.P, U.P, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Chattisgarh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Orissa, Rajasthan, and Tamilnadu were chosen for this programme. These states together constitute nearly 96% of area where pulses are grown.

Some of the highlights of the programme are -

• The scheme targets areas that are rainfed and do not have access to irrigation,
• The programme implementation would be watershed centric,
• The entitlement of each state would be dependent on the area under pulses.

There would be three main focus areas, these are -

• In situ moisture conservation - this would include lining new ponds with polythene and lining with  plastic of ponds that have been already developed,
• Accelerated pulses production programme which would include provision of mini-kits and pest surveillance,
• Market linked extension support through small farmers' agribusiness consortium.

In situ moisture conservation
An amount of Rs 180 crores is proposed for this part of the programme. There would be a focus on water management and management of ponds and tanks. Tanks and ponds will be constructed for individual farmers and the size of these would be 20 m x 20 m x 3 m. The fund for constructing these would be deposited in the bank account of the beneficiaries once it has been built. Part of the cost would be borne by the farmer. Some old tanks would also be lined with polythene, however, keeping in mind the need for groundwater recharge - these would be a few. It is also suggested the micro-irrigation systems be used to improve water efficiency and reduce wastage.

Accelerated Pulses Production Program (A3P) supplementation
Rs 90 crore will be allocated to promote better crop management practices. This would be done through block demonstration in a pattern that is similar to the A3P. Further mini kits for IPM and and pest surveillance would be provided. Annxures provide the state-wise per hectare unit cost of these kits.

Market linked extension support
An amount of approximately Rs 27 crores would be allocated to this part of the programme. It is proposed to build farmer producer organizations (FPOs) to mitigate risks faced by small and marginal farmers. The consortium of farmers created by the Department of of Agriculture, Govt. of India can play an important role in this. It is proposed that 150 such FPO's be created, with each FPO having 1000 farmers. The activities of the FPO would include training, agriculture based livelihood interventions and creation of institutions that will help to train them to form and manage such FPOs.

Monitoring will play an important role in this project and an amount of Rs 3 crores is proposed for it. There will be a central monitoring committee under the chairmanship of the Secretary (A&C) other members of the committee would be Agriculture Commissioner, DDG (Crops) etc. There is also an option of outsourcing the monitoring to outside agencies like National Institute of Rural Development, National Productivity Council, and Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy which can be decided by the central committee.

This implementation proposal would be of interest to those working in the agricultural field or working at the grassroots in rural India.

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