What: Under project "Mera Gaon Mera Gaurav", the agricultural scientists of India will be required to adopt a village and provide then technical information on how to increase agricultural productivity.
When: The program was started in August 2015 by PM Narendra Modi. Also known as “lab to land” program.
How: Over 20,000 agriculture scientists from Central and state universities are required to form a group of four scientist. Each group will adopt 5 villages in 100 KM radius. Will be delivered through Kisan Vigyan Kendras (KVKs)
Criticism: The scientific community is concerned that if they shoulder this additional responsibility, their primary work of research may suffer.
Why in News: President Pranab Mukherjee, in a speech on 5th Feb, 2016, expressed his concerns on declining agricultural production at ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) - Nodal Agency for this program, and urged agricultural scientists to develop technology and take it to the fields so that the farm output may increase.
Main Objectives:
- Increase interaction with farmers in order to understand their problems
- Educate farmers about the best practices in agriculture
- Provide information on farm inputs, climate etc
- Spread awareness on water conservation, Soil Fertility, Climate change, Swaccha Bharat Abhiyan, market conditions, etc.
