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Centre reviews KVK action plan: 300 upgrades by March 2027 — UPSC Current Affairs 2026

Schemes & Committees7 Sept 2026

Centre reviews KVK action plan: 300 upgrades by March 2027

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1
The Union Agriculture Minister reviewed the action plan for strengthening Krishi Vigyan Kendras through greater State participation, following the KVK recommendations of the 5th Chief Secretaries' Conference.
2
Two dated targets anchor the plan: infrastructure upgradation of 300 prioritised KVKs by March 2027, and an Incubation-cum-Skill Centre in every KVK by December 2028.
3
Pay, allowance and promotion reforms for KVK staff have been cleared by the Department of Expenditure, with States asked to fund NPS contributions and fill vacancies.

●Targets set: 300 prioritised KVKs upgraded by March 2027, and Incubation-cum-Skill Centres in all KVKs by December 2028. Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa and Chhattisgarh have already submitted Detailed Project Reports.
●Krishi Vigyan Kendra: ICAR's district-level farm science centre for on-farm technology assessment, refinement and demonstration, plus farmer and rural youth training. The first was set up on a pilot basis in 1974 at Puducherry under Tamil Nadu Agricultural University; the network now stands at 731 KVKs.
●Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR): autonomous apex body for agricultural research, education and extension under the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE), Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare; headquartered in New Delhi, with the Secretary DARE also serving as ICAR Director General.
●Agricultural Technology Application Research Institutes (ATARIs): 11 zonal institutes of ICAR that plan, monitor and coordinate the KVKs in their zone and route financial support down to KVK level, the fund-flow channel flagged in this review.
●5th Chief Secretaries' Conference: the National Conference of Chief Secretaries chaired by the Prime Minister at Pusa, Delhi in December 2025 on the theme 'Human Capital for Viksit Bharat'; its KVK action points are what this meeting was tracking.
●Mera Gaon Mera Gaurav: launched on 25 July 2015 at ICAR's foundation day, it pairs teams of four scientists with adopted villages within 50-100 km to speed up lab-to-land technology transfer.
●Cluster Frontline Demonstrations on Pulses and Oilseeds, 2026-27: running through 353 KVKs and districts across 24 States, target area 12,349 hectares, of which 9,750 hectares has been achieved.
●PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana: the six-year district-focused agriculture scheme from 2025-26, about Rs 24,000 crore a year across 100 districts, converging 36 schemes of 11 departments; KVKs deliver its district action plans.

Exam Relevance

upsc

GS Paper 3 > Agriculture > Extension and Technology Transfer

Expected Questions

★The institutional chain in agricultural extension - DARE, ICAR, ATARI, KVK - and where State governments enter it

Key Terms

ATARI

Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute, one of 11 ICAR zonal institutes that monitor and coordinate KVKs.

Cluster Frontline Demonstration

A KVK-run demonstration of improved pulse and oilseed varieties on clusters of farmers' fields, measured in hectares covered.

priority_highMust Remember

•First KVK: 1974 at Puducherry; the network today numbers 731 KVKs.
•11 ATARIs coordinate the KVK system for ICAR.
•Mera Gaon Mera Gaurav was launched on 25 July 2015.

tips_and_updatesExam Tips

•KVKs are ICAR bodies, not State agriculture department offices, even though many are hosted by State Agricultural Universities - that distinction is the usual trap.

Question 1 of 2Score: 0/0

Factual

The first Krishi Vigyan Kendra in India was established on a pilot basis in 1974 at which place?

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Centre reviews KVK action plan: 300 upgrades by March 2027

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Exam Relevance

Expected Questions

Key Terms

priority_highMust Remember

tips_and_updatesExam Tips

Practice Quiz

The first Krishi Vigyan Kendra in India was established on a pilot basis in 1974 at which place?

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