New Delhi, 30 May (H.S.):

Under the aegis of the Union Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare and Rural Development, the Save the Fields Campaign (Khet Bachao Abhiyan) will be launched across India starting June 1. On Saturday, Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan convened a high-level meeting and emphasized that the campaign will focus on balanced and rational fertilizer use, timely farmer advisories in view of weather challenges, active participation at the panchayat level, and ensuring direct delivery of scheme benefits to villages.

During the meeting, Chouhan placed greatest importance on the fact that reducing chemical fertilizers—particularly their imbalanced use—will be the campaign's primary objective. The campaign aims to sensitize farmers about soil-test-based, balanced, and properly measured application of manure and other agricultural inputs, promote the use of green manure, organic and bio-products, and organize demonstration events on integrated nutrient management.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, the Agriculture Minister said that in light of weather-related concerns raised for the coming period, farmers will be given practical advice on what to do and what to avoid, which crops to sow, where to adopt crop diversification, and which options will be better under conditions of low water availability or high risk. The campaign's purpose will not be merely to disseminate messages, but to provide situation-specific advice to farmers at the field level.

The meeting also underscored that the campaign will be given a strong foundation at the panchayat level. Shivraj Singh directed that the distribution of mechanization machinery at the panchayat level, benefits of schemes, and wherever feasible, direct benefits of government programs, should also be incorporated under this campaign.

Chouhan stated that the campaign will not be confined to the departmental sphere alone. Chief Ministers of the states will be requested, and efforts will be made to ensure participation from ministers, MPs, MLAs, and other elected representatives, so that this campaign transcends being merely an administrative program and emerges as a robust model of public participation. The meeting revealed that the Agricultural Development Center has been designated as the principal coordinator for all participating institutions for the campaign; more than 1,650 teams have been constituted. For the 100 districts with higher fertilizer usage, 500 teams have been formed, which will include scientists from KVKs and ICAR institutions, as well as officers from the Agriculture Department.

Union Minister Chouhan said the campaign will not be limited to manure management alone; benefits of schemes will also be delivered to the fields. The approach of integrating activities such as linking farmers omitted from PM-Kisan and those who need to be added to the Kisan Credit Card, the Pulses-Oilseeds Mission, Oil Palm Mission, Cotton Mission, balanced nutrition, soil health, water conservation, and region-specific agricultural advice will make the campaign multi-purpose and effective.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar