‘Khet Bachao Abhiyan’ reaches 2.712 Crore Citizens; 7.17 Lakh Farmers Sensitised on Balanced Use of Fertiliser

Note on source dates: I found that the campaign launch (Raisen, MP) actually appears to have occurred before the 22 May 2026 PIB release cited by the user (search results show a Haryana "concluding ceremony" PRID=2279405, suggesting later timeline confusion in indexing). I am treating the 22 May 2026 press release (PRID=2264122) as the primary anchor per the user's brief, and using the launch/Haryana releases only for background/recent-developments context — flagging this since exact chronological sequencing across releases could not be fully verified within the 3-search limit.

'Khet Bachao Abhiyan' — Soil Health & Balanced Fertiliser Use Campaign

1. At a Glance

• 'Khet Bachao Abhiyan' ("Save the Farm Campaign") is a nationwide ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) outreach mission promoting soil health, balanced/judicious fertiliser use, and sustainable agriculture [S1].
• Implemented under the Department of Agriculture Research and Education (DARE), Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare [S1].
• Relevant for UPSC as a live example of soil health governance, input-use rationalisation, and farmer-outreach architecture — tests both static (ICAR/DARE structure) and current-affairs (numbers, launch) knowledge.
• Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has signalled its evolution from a time-bound "campaign" into a long-term national mission [S1].

2. Why in the News

• PIB release (22 May 2026, PRID 2264122) reported the Abhiyan reaching 2.712 crore citizens, with 7.17 lakh farmers directly sensitised on balanced fertiliser use through 12,979 camps/seminars [S1].
• Nationwide launch event held at Raisen, Madhya Pradesh, led by Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan [S3].
• A concluding ceremony was held in Haryana, attended by Chouhan alongside Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini [S4].

3. Background & Evolution

• Rooted in ICAR's mandate on soil-test-based, judicious use of fertilisers, green manures, organic/bio-inputs [S1].
• Launch phase: Union Minister formally launched the nationwide rollout from Raisen, MP, alongside foundation-laying of a model Agricultural Science Centre (KVK) and a scientific farming roadmap for Vidisha, Raisen, Sehore, and Dewas districts [S3].
• Framed as a mass movement involving scientists, Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), ICAR, state governments, elected representatives, Self-Help Groups (SHGs), Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), and farmer bodies [S3].
• State/regional-level replication seen across the country — e.g., CIPMC Shillong (crop protection awareness) [S1 search set], ICAR-NRCO Pakyong, Sikkim (sapling distribution, hill agriculture) [S1 search set].
• Campaign subsequently declared to transition from a fixed-duration campaign into a long-term national mission [S1].

4. Core Static Facts

5. Multi-Dimensional Analysis

Economic - Balanced fertiliser use aims to cut input costs for farmers by reducing over-application of urea/DAP, addressing India's skewed NPK use ratio (historically urea-heavy) [S1]. - Reduced input costs and improved soil productivity have downstream implications for farm income and the government's fertiliser subsidy burden.

Environmental - Over-use of chemical fertilisers degrades soil organic carbon, causes nutrient runoff/eutrophication, and undermines long-term yield sustainability — the Abhiyan's organic/bio-input push directly targets this [S1]. - Promotion of green manuring and bio-fertilisers aligns with broader natural/sustainable farming policy goals.

Social - Outreach model leverages SHGs and FPOs, embedding gender and grassroots-institution dimensions into extension delivery [S3]. - Scale (2.712 crore citizens) indicates an attempt at mass behavioural change beyond just farmers — includes rural community stakeholders.

Administrative - Delivery relies on the KVK (Krishi Vigyan Kendra) network and ICAR's decentralised research-institute footprint (e.g., ICAR-NRCO Pakyong), showing how central agri-research infrastructure is repurposed for last-mile extension [S1]. - Evolution from "campaign" to "mission" signals an administrative shift toward institutionalised, recurring funding/monitoring rather than one-off events [S1].

Scientific/Technological - Emphasis on soil-test-based fertiliser recommendations ties into India's Soil Health Card ecosystem, promoting data-driven input decisions over blanket application.

6. Recent Developments (last 12–18 months)

• Nationwide launch from Raisen, Madhya Pradesh by Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, bundled with KVK foundation-laying and a district-level farming roadmap for Vidisha, Raisen, Sehore, Dewas [S3].
• PIB progress update (22 May 2026) quantifying outreach: 12,979 camps, 7.17 lakh farmers, 2.712 crore citizens, 3,145 training programmes, 7,928 field demonstrations [S1].
• State-level extension events: Sikkim (ICAR-NRCO Pakyong — sapling distribution, hill agriculture awareness at Lingdum, East Sikkim), Meghalaya (CIPMC Shillong — crop protection practices) [S1].
• Concluding ceremony held in Haryana, jointly with CM Nayab Singh Saini, marking closure of the current campaign phase [S4].

7. Prelims Hooks

• 'Khet Bachao Abhiyan' is implemented by ICAR under DARE, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare [S1].
• Campaign reached 2.712 crore citizens and sensitised 7.17 lakh farmers on balanced fertiliser use (as per May 2026 PIB update) [S1].
• 12,979 awareness camps/seminars were conducted under the Abhiyan [S1].
• 3,145 training programmes were held, with 1,11,509 participants [S1].
• 7,928 field demonstrations covered green manuring, bio-fertilisers, and organic nutrient sources [S1].
• The nationwide campaign was launched from Raisen, Madhya Pradesh [S3].
• Union Minister associated with the launch and campaign: Shivraj Singh Chouhan [S1][S3].
• The campaign's concluding ceremony was held in Haryana with CM Nayab Singh Saini [S4].
• The campaign is being converted from a time-bound drive into a long-term national mission [S1].
• Delivery partners include KVKs, SHGs, FPOs, state governments, and farmer organisations [S3].
• Core objective: promote soil-test-based judicious and balanced use of fertilisers and organic/bio-inputs [S1].
• Regional replication examples: Sikkim (ICAR-NRCO Pakyong), Meghalaya (CIPMC Shillong) [S1].

8. Mains Relevance

• GS-III: Agriculture — issues related to cropping patterns, fertiliser subsidy, soil health, sustainable agriculture, and extension services.
• GS-II (secondary): Governance — design of welfare/awareness delivery mechanisms through decentralised institutions (KVKs, SHGs, FPOs).
• Possible Mains stems: 1. "Imbalanced fertiliser use has emerged as a major threat to soil health in India. Discuss the causes and evaluate the effectiveness of awareness-based interventions like the 'Khet Bachao Abhiyan' in addressing this challenge." 2. "Examine the role of Krishi Vigyan Kendras and farmer producer organisations in scaling agricultural extension programmes in India." 3. "Balanced fertiliser use is central to both farm profitability and soil sustainability. Critically analyse India's policy approach, citing recent initiatives."

9. Related Topics to Study Next

• Soil Health Card Scheme — directly linked static scheme on soil-test-based nutrient management.
• Nutrient-Based Subsidy (NBS) Policy — fertiliser subsidy structure influencing farmer input choices.
• Natural Farming / Bhartiya Prakritik Krishi Paddhati (BPKP) — sustainable-farming policy overlap.
• Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) — the institutional backbone for such extension campaigns.
• ICAR structure and DARE — governance architecture of Indian agricultural research/extension.
• Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) — delivery-partner institutions increasingly used across schemes.
• Fertiliser subsidy and urea diversion issues — economic dimension of imbalanced fertiliser use.
• Soil organic carbon & land degradation (UNCCD context) — environmental linkage for Mains GS-III/Environment.

10. Common Errors / Trap Areas

• Do not confuse implementing agency: it is ICAR/DARE, not a direct scheme of the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (DA&FW) — both fall under the same ministry but are distinct departments.
• Do not confuse this with the Soil Health Card Scheme — Khet Bachao Abhiyan is an awareness/outreach campaign, not a card-issuance scheme, though both target balanced fertiliser use.
• Numbers are cumulative progress figures (as of the 22 May 2026 update), not final/closing figures — aspirants should note the source date when citing statistics.
• Avoid mixing up the launch venue (Raisen, MP) with the concluding ceremony venue (Haryana) — these are distinct events in the campaign timeline.
• Note the minister's name and portfolio correctly: Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (not to be confused with his earlier MP CM role).

11. Sources

• [S1] 'Khet Bachao Abhiyan' reaches 2.712 Crore Citizens; 7.17 Lakh Farmers Sensitised on Balanced Use of Fertiliser — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2264122&reg=3&lang=1 — (tier: 1)
• [S3] Union Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan Launches Nationwide 'Khet Bachao Abhiyan' from Raisen, Madhya Pradesh — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseDetail.aspx?PRID=2267507&reg=6&lang=1 — (tier: 1)
• [S4] Union Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan participates in the concluding ceremony of 'Khet Bachao Abhiyan' in Haryana with Chief Minister Shri Nayab Singh Saini — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2279405&reg=3&lang=1 — (tier: 1)