Lok Sabha Question No. 3576 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-17
Subject: Upgrading Infrastructure of Krishi Vigyan Kendras
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Shri Mani A

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH & EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3576 TO BE ANSWERED ON 17 TH  DECEMBER, 2024

## UPGRADING INFRASTRUCTURE OF KRISHI VIGYAN KENDRAS

## 3576.  SHRI MANI A:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE d`f"k vkSj fdlku dY;k.k ea=h be pleased to state:

(a) the details of the steps taken by the Government to upgrade the infrastructure of Krishi Vigyan Kendras across the country for better services to the farmers;

(b) whether the Union Government has reviewed the working of KVKs and if so, the outcome thereof;

(c) the number of KVKs under the control of the State Governments, ICAR, NGOs and agricultural universities, respectively;

(d) whether any techniques/methods have been implemented beyond the pilot test in respect of the research conducted at ICAR in the last three years; and

(e) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE d`f"k vkSj fdlku dY;k.k jkT; ea=h (SHRI BHAGIRATH CHOUDHARY)

(a): Government makes continuous efforts to upgrade the infrastructure of KVKs across the  Country  for  better  services  to  the  farmers.  During  last  year  Government  made Rs.7730.76 lakh budget provision for upgrading the infrastructure. Infrastructure includes Administrative Building, Farmers Hostel, Demonstration Unit, Farm Development Works.

(b): The Government has created a strong monitoring and review mechanism for KVKs to make it a vibrant and effective institution of technology transfer at district level. Monitoring and review of KVKs is done regularly at National, Zonal, University and District level by Indian  Council  of  Agricultural  Research,  Agricultural  Technology  Application  Research Institutes,  Agricultural  Universities  and  Scientific  Advisory  Committee  of  each  KVK, respectively.

The  performance  and  working  of  KVKs  is  also  reviewed  by  the  Government periodically through Quinquennial Review Teams and Third Party. Last such evaluations were  conducted  by  International  Food  Policy  Research  Institute  and  Indian  Society  of Agribusiness Professionals, New Delhi in the year 2019 and 2020, respectively. The major findings of these evaluations include KVKs' efforts generating an additional net farm income of Rs. 5752 per hectare, very high rate of return on expenditure on KVK (1: 11.78 Cost Benefit ratio), one KVK trained farmer trained disseminating technology/knowledge to 30 fellow farmers, increase in outreach, increase in proportion of farm women in training and increase in seed production and planting material.

(c): The  number  of  KVKs  under  State  Government,  ICAR,  NGO  and  Agricultural Universities are 38, 66, 101 and 509 respectively.

(d) & (e): The technologies developed out of research conducted by ICAR are taken to farmers'  fields  for  its  assessment  by  KVKs  to  ascertain  their  location  specificity  under various farming systems. KVKs also conduct large number of technology demonstrations at  farmers'  fields  for  their  adoption  by  the  farmers.  The  KVKs  conducted  1.32  lakh assessment  trials  of  technologies  at  farmers'  fields  and  8.69  lakh  demonstrations  on different  technologies  related  to  crops,  livestock,  fisheries,  farm  machineries  and  other enterprises during the last three years.

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