Bringing Green Revolution to Eastern India (BGREI)
Bringing Green Revolution to Eastern India (BGREI)
Bringing Green Revolution to Eastern India, or commonly referred to as BGREI, is a sub-scheme of the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) and is implemented in the states of Assam, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal and the eastern part of Uttar Pradesh. The Scheme has been formulated in order to address the constraints that limit the productivity of rice-based cropping systems in the States mentioned earlier. This article talks about Bringing Green Revolution to Eastern India (BGREI), including the various features and essentials of the same.
Overview
The constraints that held back the productivity of the rice-based cropping system gave rise to a new initiative known as the Bringing Green Revolution to Eastern India (BGREI) by the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana. This scheme aims to shift the cultivation of water-intensive crops from the north-western parts of India to their eastern counterparts. The programme was launched in Assam, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal and the eastern part of Uttar Pradesh (Purvanchal).
As a part of this scheme, various activities such as cluster demonstration of improved package of practices, building of assets, site-specific activities and market support are conducted and taken care of. The approach of this program focusses on medium and long-term strategies for asset building activities of water conservation and their utilisation. The two essential pre-requisites for bringing about this Revolution in these parts of India is the improvement of institutions and the input delivery mechanism.
Aim
The aim of the Bringing Green Revolution to Eastern India (BGREI) is as follows:
The Program aims to take care of essential technologies with respect to certain provisions for the incentivised supply of recommended agricultural inputs to farmers who adopt the cluster approach in order to ensure equity amongst the farmers themselves across selected locations in the BGREI States.
Objectives
The following are the primary objectives of the Bringing Green Revolution to Eastern India (BGREI) Program.
- To increase the production and the productivity of rice and wheat by adopting the latest crop production technologies.
- To promote the cultivation in rice fallow areas and to increase cropping intensity, and incomes to farmers.
- To create water harvesting structures and increase the efficient utilisation of water potential.
- To promote post rain harvesting technology and marketing support.
Strategy
The following are the strategies that the Bringing Green Revolution to Eastern India (BGREI) Program focuses on implementing.
- To promote improved production technology of rice on a massive scale that includes the popularisation of the newly released HY cultivars and hybrids.
- To popularise adoption of stress tolerant rice varieties.
- To bring rice fallow areas under cultivation through cropping system based approach.
- To create irrigation structures like farm ponds and lift irrigation point in order to improve irrigation potential.
- To create infrastructure such as godowns, procurement centres, and marking infrastructures.
- To promote the use of farm machinery and implements suitable for small land holding sizes.
- To provide technical backstopping by scientists of SAU, CRRI and ICAR Institutions.
Monitoring Mechanism
The monitoring mechanism for the Bringing Green Revolution to Eastern India (BGREI) is executed by two teams as given below:
- National Level Monitoring Team
- District Level Monitoring Team
National Level Monitoring Team
The National Level Monitoring Team will be formulated for every state the program will be active in. The NLMT would monitor the activities of the program for a specific state. The Program has clearly defined the composition and the terms for the National Level Monitoring Team.
The team would visit the State that they are assigned to at least once in a crop season. They will submit a report to the Agricultural Production Commissioner of the concerned State. The concerned authorities would later submit a detailed report to the Agriculture Commissioner of the Government of India.
District Level Monitoring Team
The District Level Monitoring Team will comprise of the following members:
| Serial Number | Designation | Position |
| 1 | District Agriculture Officer | Chairman |
| 2 | ATMA in-charge | Member |
| 3 | KVK Scientist | Member |
| 4 | Nominated Scientist of CRRI/ SAU/ ICAR Institute for the assigned district | Member |
The District Level Monitoring Team would visit the designated State thrice in a crop season. To elaborate, they would visit the State once before sowing the seeds, another in the mid of the season; and finally at the time of harvesting to check on the crop-cutting experiments. Accordingly, a report would be submitted to the Director of Agriculture of the concerned State with a copy of the same being sent to CRRI, Cuttack and the Directorate of Rice Development, Patna.
Fund Flow Mechanism
The provision of the fund in order to implement the program will be made annually under the supervision of the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana. The Central Government would finalise the approval of the Action Plan for each State in consultation with the concerned State. The action plans approved by the Government will be required to be approved by the State Level Sanctioning Committee on the pattern of the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana for the issue of the Government administrative and financial sanction and subsequent release of funds to the State.
Year-wise Allocation of Funds for the Bringing Green Revolution to Eastern India (BGREI) Program
| Serial Number | Year | Allocation (Central Share) | Release (Central Share) |
| 1 | 2010-2011 | INR 435 Crores | INR 402.70 Crores |
| 2 | 2011-2012 | INR 400 Crores | INR 396.91 Crores |
| 3 | 2012-2013 | INR 1000 Crores | INR 998.03 Crores |
| 4 | 2013-2014 | INR 1000 Crores | INR 623.57 Crores |
| 5 | 2014-2015 | INR 1000 Crores | INR 845.84 Crores |
| 6 | 2015-2016 | INR 500 Crores | INR 397.11 Crores |
| 7 | 2016-2017 | INR 630 Crores | INR 553.57 Crores |
| 8 | 2017-2018 | INR 450 Crores | INR 329.01 Crores |
| 9 | 2018-2019 | INR 315 Crores | Yet to be declared |
Reporting System
The State Department of Agriculture will submit a Quarterly Progress Report by the 15th of every month following each quarter. Similarly, a detailed Annual Progress Report will be sent by the respective State within 3 months after the year ends, in a prescribed format that is mentioned by the Scheme for rice and wheat exclusively.
Evaluation
Impact Evaluation Studies will be undertaken through an independent agency in order to assess the impact of the program in terms of increasing the productivity of rice, wheat and the enhancement in the income of farmers.
Criteria for Identification of Areas and Beneficiaries
The allocation of funds for the Program will be made for the general public. Plans such as the Special Component Plan (SCP) and the Tribal Sub Plan (TSP) for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes are made as per their proportion in the State population. Moreover, a minimum of 33% of the funds will be allocated for small and marginal farmers, while another 33% of the funds will be earmarked for women farmers.
Marketing Support
Adoption of excellent agriculture practices and response to improved technologies by farmers have resulted in a significant increase in the share of the eastern region in total production of rice in the country. However, procurement and storage are of concern.
Assistance for activities that would help in the enhanced procurement, creation of storage facility, marketing and value addition will be provided. These activities will include the promotion or creation of primary processing facilities including farm level storage, institution building, linkage for procurement operations or marketing. Assistance will be provided by offering 50% of the project cost for an individual beneficiary and 100% for community assets.
Summary of Pattern of Assistance
| Serial Number | Name of Interventions | Pattern of Assistance | Interventions to be covered | |
| Rice | Wheat | |||
| 1 | Demonstration | |||
| 1.1 | Demonstration of Improved Packages of Practices | INR 7,500 per HA | Available | Available |
| 1.2 | Cropping System Based Demonstrations | INR 12,500 per HA | Available | Nil |
| 1.3 | Demonstrations on Stress Tolerant Rice Varieties | INR 7,500 per HA | Available | Nil |
| 2 | Production of Seeds | |||
| 2A | Hybrid | 50% of the cost limited to INR 5,000 per quintal | Available | Nil |
| 2B | Certified Seeds of HYVs | 50% of the cost limited to INR 1,000 per quintal | Available | Available |
| 3 | Distribution of Seeds | |||
| 3A | Hybrid Rice | 50% of the cost limited to INR 5,000 per quintal | Available | Nil |
| 3B | Certified Seeds of HYVs | 50% of the cost limited to INR 1,000 per quintal | Available | Available |
| 4 | Nutrient management and soil ameliorants | |||
| 4A | Micro-nutrients | 50% of the cost limited to INR 500 per HA | Available | Available |
| 4B | Lime | 50% of the cost limited to INR 1,000 per HA | Available | Nil |
| 4C | Bio-fertilizers | 50% of the cost limited to INR 300 per HA | Available | Available |
| 4D | Gypsum | 50% of the cost limited to INR 750 per HA | Available | Available |
| 5 | Integrated Pests Management (IPM) | |||
| 5A | PP Chemical/ Bio-pesticides/ Bio-agents | 50% of the cost limited to INR 500 per HA | Available | Available |
| 5B | Weedicides | 50% of the cost limited to INR 500 per HA | Available | Available |
| 6 | Asset Building | |||
| 6A | Dug Well | 100% of the cost limited to INR 30,000 | Available | Nil |
| 6B | Bore Well | 100% of the cost limited to INR 30,000 | Available | Nil |
| 6C | Shallow Tube Well | 100% of the cost limited to INR 12,000 | Available | Nil |
| 6D | Drum Seeder | INR 1,500 per machine or 50% of the cost whichever is less | Available | Nil |
| 6E | Zero Till Seed Drill | INR 15,000 per machine or 50% of the cost whichever is less | Nil | Available |
| 6F | Seed Drill | INR 15,000 per machine or 50% of the cost whichever is less | Available | Available |
| 6G | Rotavator | INR 35,000 per machine or 50% of the cost whichever is less | Available | Nil |
| 6H | Self Propelled Paddy Transplanter | INR 75,000 per machine or 50% of the cost whichever is less | Available | Nil |
| 6I | Pump Set | INR 10,000 per machine or 50% of the cost whichever is less | Available | Available |
| 6J | Cono-weeder | INR 600 per machine or 50% of the cost whichever is less | Available | Nil |
| 6K | Manual Sprayer | INR 600 per machine or 50% of the cost whichever is less | Available | Nil |
| 6L | Power Knap Sack Sprayer | INR 3,000 per machine or 50% of the cost whichever is less | Available | Nil |
| 6M | Power Weeder | INR 15,000 per machine or 50% of the cost whichever is less | Available | Nil |
| 6N | Paddy Thresher | INR 40,000 per machine or 50% of the cost whichever is less | Available | Nil |
| 6O | Multi-crop Thresher | INR 40,000 per machine or 50% of the cost whichever is less | Available | Available |
| 6P | Laser Land Leveller (for a group of farmers) | INR 1.5 Lakhs per machine or 50% of the cost whichever is less | Available | Nil |
