1st KVK was established by ICAR on 21st March 1974 in Puducherry

New Delhi, 21 March 2024 | ANN

ICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendra has completed 50 years and is celebrating Golden Jubilee Year in 2024. The Curtain Raiser of the Golden Jubilee Celebration was held in Puducherry today.

It is to be noted that the 1st KVK was established by ICAR on 21st March 1974 in Puducherry under the administrative control of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore. At present there are 731 KVKs, out of which 506 are under State Agricultural Universities (SAU) and Central Agricultural University (CAU), 66 under ICAR Institutes, 103 under NGOs, 38 under State Governments, 3 under Public Sector Undertakings, 7 under Deemed to be Universities and 5 under other educational institutions.

In a video message, Secretary (DARE) and Director General (ICAR), Dr Himanshu Pathak stated that the transfer of technologies by the KVKs has helped in increasing the food grain production & horticultural production in the country.

“KVKs should serve as a comprehensive hub for technology transfer, capacity building, market information, and skill development for farmers at the grassroots level”, he added.

Vice Chancellor, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Dr. V. Geethalakshmi highlighted the efforts of the KVKs in making the farmers tech-savvy and helping them adopt Agriculture 2.0. She sought intervention of KVKs to overcome the agricultural challenges of the country such as increased population and reduced land & water resources.

Dr. Geethalakshmi also expressed concern over climate change and its effect on agricultural practices.
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