ICAR Special Task Force to safeguard India's agricultural resilience amid global geopolitical uncertainties

Key facts

• The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has constituted a high-level Special Task Force to counter emerging global challenges and safeguard India's agricultural sector.
• The Task Force chaired by M L Jat, Secretary of the Department of Agricultural Research and Education and Director General of ICAR, outlined a comprehensive framework for national food and input security.
• It will intensify the 'Mera Gaon Mera Gaurav' campaign, prioritising 100 aspirational districts to deliver complete packages of agricultural practices and build grassroots confidence.
• Dedicated officers across divisions will track weekly progress and align actions under a unified plan.
• A campaign for balanced fertiliser and bio-input use will be launched, with district-level assessments to rationalise consumption in wheat and rice.
• Technological solutions like Direct Seeding of Rice will be scaled up under strengthened agrometeorology programmes with real-time advisories.
• The Task Force will meet as situational exigencies demand and provide data-driven inputs to the government through institutional feedback mechanisms.