An Overview of the Krishi Karman Awards

• The awards are managed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India. Every year, eight awards are presented in total. Three of these awards are given to the states with the highest food grains production in three categories:
  • Category I – States with production exceeding 10 million tonnes in the reviewed year
  • Category II – States with production ranging between 1 and 10 million tonnes
  • Category III – States with production less than 1 million tonnes
• Five awards are presented to the states that achieve the highest production in each of the following crops:
  • Rice
  • Wheat
  • Pulses
  • Coarse Cereals
  • Oilseeds
• To qualify for the individual crop awards, the states need to meet certain minimum production requirements. These include a production of more than 10 Lakhs tonnes in the Rice and Wheat category, 2 Lakh tonnes for Pulses and Oilseeds, and 4 Lakh tonnes for Coarse Cereal.
• Besides the awards for total food grains and individual crops, special Commendation Awards are also presented.
• States that don't make it to the Krishi Karman Award list despite a higher production, based on evaluation guidelines, are considered for the Commendation Award.
• However, to qualify for this, the states must meet the necessary condition of achieving a higher production level than the best of the past five years.
• The awards come with a citation and a cash prize. The three categories of the highest food grain production receive Rs. 5 crores each.
• The winners of the individual crop awards receive Rs. 2 crores each. The Commendation Award carries a cash prize of Rs. 1 crore for each of the selected states.

Selection Process for the Krishi Karman Awards

• The food grain production figures for the government's financial year (April to March) form the basis of consideration for the awards.
• The states are provided with the evaluation parameters in advance to ensure transparency. These parameters include the implementation of crop-related programmes, usage of innovative techniques to enhance productivity, and actual crop production data.
• The performance of the states against the set criteria is reviewed by a committee led by the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Government of India.
• The selection process comprises two stages. First, the states are shortlisted based on the final advance estimate of their food grain production. Then, the shortlisted states present before the selection committee.

Wrapping Up

The growth of food grain production in India is largely dependent on the monsoon and the use of modern cultivation techniques. In the financial year 2019-20, India witnessed a growth of about 3% in food grain production, with a total production of 305 million tonnes. The consistent increase in food grain production year after year since the inception of the Krishi Karman Awards indicates that the initiative is indeed a step in the right direction.

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