Kritagya Hackathon: Launched by ICAR to promote Farm Mechanization

September 23, 2020

On September 23, 2020, “Kritagya” Hackathon was launched by Indian Council of Agricultural Research under National Agricultural Higher Education Project. The project will promote Farm Mechanisation.

Highlights

Students from any university, college can participate in the project. The first prize winner will receive Rs 5 lakhs, second prize and third prize winners will receive Rs 3 lakhs and Rs 5 lakhs respectively.

National Agricultural Higher Education Project

The project was launched in 2019 at Rs 1100 crores. It is funded by the World Bank. The GoI and the World Bank share the funds in the ratio of 50:50. The main objective of the programme is to support ICAR and participating agricultural universities.

Farm Mechanisation Subsidies

The GoI provides subsidies for Farm Mechanisation under The SMAM scheme. SMAM is Sub Mission on Agricultural Mechanisation. The subsidy under the scheme is provided for agricultural implements such as sowing, tillage, planting, reaping, harvesting, threshing, inter cultivation and residue management. The GoI is also promoting Custom Hiring Centres under the SMAM scheme through which the farm machineries are delivered at door steps of the farmers.

Certain states such as Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh are providing farm machineries at concessional rates.

Ashok Dalwai Committee

Farm Mechanisation and integration of lands are the two important things to focus on in order to double farmers’ income. Integration of lands is important because the number of small and marginal farmers in the country are greater than that of large farmers.

It is an inter-ministerial committee headed by Ashok Dalwai that aims to double farmers income by 2022. According to the committee, additional investment of Rs 6,399 billion is needed to achieve the goal of doubling farmers’ income. The key recommendation of the committee is as follows