TAD NewsDesk, New Delhi: The Central government has taken a step forward to promote agricultural entrepreneurship (Agripreneurship) in India. This move came with the launch of a new programme called “Innovation and Agri-Entrepreneurship Development” by the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare (DACFW). This venture would be run under the scheme of Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana.
DACFW has also appointed Five Knowledge Partners (KPs) and twenty-four Agribusiness Incubators (R-ABIs) for the smooth execution and functioning of the programme.
The finance structure for the programme as released in a statement by Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare is a two-step procedure:
When the idea is at the preliminary stage, a start-up could seek up to a maximum of Rs 5 lakhs.
For seed stage, the selected start-up will be able to seek financial assistance of up to Rs 25 lakhs.
Highlights of Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY-RAFAAR):
- This is a scheme launched by the government in the year 2018-19.
- It aimed at providing financial assistance and nurturing the incubated ecosystem.
- It also tries to encourage more startups in the realm of agriculture and provide for a raise in the income of farmers either directly or indirectly.
- 346 start-ups have been funded under the scheme with an amount of Rs 36.72 crore.
- Universities have also been funded under the scheme, including Chaudhary Charan Singh University (Hisar), CSK Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, (Palampur) and IIT BHU (Varanasi), among others.
The five knowledge partners under the scheme are:
- Agricultural Extension Management, Hyderabad
- National Institute of Agricultural Marketing (NIAM), Jaipur
- Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi
- University of Agriculture Science, Dharwad
- Assam Agriculture University, Jorhat
This new initiative by the central government has also in a way opened up opportunities for the youths of the country. It would ensure more interest to the agriculture of the country.
