Isro: A world class Make in India example

The launch of a satellite for India’s own GPS shows Isro’s innovations are clearly the best Make in India products and, at the same, the most cost-effective space programme in the world

Last week, India successfully launched a satellite which finally established the country’s own satellite navigation system—only four others, the US, Russia, China and the European Union, possess this capability in the world—or more familiarly, a global positioning system (GPS) of its own. And once again it did so on a shoe-string budget.

Not only will the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), made up of seven satellites, strengthen the country strategically, it will also be useful in disaster management.

And, given that the footprint of the satellite navigation system will extend 1,500 km from its borders (covering all of Asia and extending to the fringes of Australia and Africa), India can share some of the capabilities with other developing countries in its neighbourhood.

This is a superb achievement for the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro). The institution and its innovations are clearly the best Make in India products and more incredible is the fact that it is the most cost effective space programme in the world.

In another three years it will celebrate its golden jubilee—given its amazing track record, this will be an anniversary to look forward to.

Set up in 1969, this organization has emerged as a unicorn (not in the way we refer to start-ups). It has had to face the same constraints as other institutions as well as the fact that it functioned under overall government control. Yet it has managed to break the stereotype of a public sector company (including forging a string of commercial agreements with private sector companies) and emerged as an institution which is world class.

This would be, by far, the most important takeaway from the Isro story. While the rest of us have whined about our constraints, Isro has shown that it is possible to deliver despite it (alternatively, imagine Isro’s achievement if the country had possessed a genuine meritocracy).

And, in this pursuit, it incorporated the national trait ofjugaad, the ability to make do with minimal resources, in its mission. It is the same trait that defines India as a “missed-call” nation—where the poor can make do with a Rs.5 prepaid phone card, by relying on free incoming calls. Similarly, Isro, too, has resorted to jugaad to keep its budgets down.

I still recall writing in the late 1980s about India’s pursuit of satellite launching capability. At that time, no one believed it was possible, especially with the West clamping down on any transfer of technology to Indian institutions claiming that it could be misused for military purposes. Yet it refused to be overawed and managed to assemble the cryogenic engine, critical for its rockets to acquire the desired efficiency.

Not only did it manage to acquire the capability, Isro has managed to scale up operations to a stage where it is now offering the facility commercially.

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In the current year, it has inked contracts to launch 25 satellites, which include 12 for the US, four for Germany and three for Canada. So far, Isro has launched 57 foreign satellites for 21 countries.

The world woke up to its capabilities, rather dramatically, when Isro succeeded with its Mars Orbiter Mission, Mangalyaan. And, amazingly, it managed to do so at one-ninth of the $670 million spent by the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) on its own mission to Mars.

In September 2014, Mangalyaan entered the orbit of Mars ending a 300-day voyage; in the process, India became the first country to succeed in its first attempt to send a probe to the red planet.

The 1,340-kg Mars orbiter was launched aboard the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C25) on 5 November 2013. It carried five scientific payloads weighing a total of 15kg, including a camera.

Like the other countries, the idea was to explore the presence of life forms on the planet’s surface. In the process, it reinforced India’s claims in deep space exploration capabilities.

Next on the agenda is Chandrayaan II, the country’s second moon mission, to be launched later this year; it proposes to soft land a wheeled robotic vehicle to explore the surface of the moon.

Regardless of whether it succeeds or not, Isro has undoubtedly ensured its place in history. The trick will be in emulating the Isro story in other sectors. Till that time, Make in India will continue to remain a WIP (work in progress).

Understanding the Uttarakhand forest fire

As a major forest fire ravages the forests of Uttarakhand, some experts suggest poor rainfall, El Nino and climate warming as causes, while some others point fingers at miscreants.

In terms of the incidences of forest fires, this year is particularly bad. According to data from the environment ministry, a total of 18,451 incidents of forest fires were reported from across the country in 2013, compared with 19,054 in 2014 and 15,937 in 2015. This year has seen a jump, with at least 20,667 fires already reported as on 21 April.

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Here’s what you need to know about the Uttarakhand forest fire and how India’s forests are prone to fires:

What is happening?

In December 2015, the environment ministry released the India State of Forest Report. According to the report, India’s forest cover is 701,673 sq. km which is about 21.34% of the country. As per the Forest Survey of India data, almost 50% of India’s forest areas are fire prone but this does not mean that fires affect 50% of the country’s area annually.

The major forest fire season in the country varies from February to June. Reports have estimated that about 6.17% of Indian forests are subjected to severe fire damage annually. According to Ravi Chopra, an environmentalist and a former member of the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA), high temperatures with no atmospheric moisture were the major reason for this year’s fires.

“This year, the major cause is the high temperature and the lack of rainfall. There has been speculation about it being a man-made fire but there is no proof as such,” Chopra said. Forest fires can have environmental as well as human-made causes. High atmospheric temperatures and dryness offer favourable conditions for a fire to start, but in India several forest fires are human-made for new flush of grass and agricultural practices like shifting cultivation.

According to James Randerson, professor of Earth System Science at the University of California, Irvine, environmental factors are critically important in determining the severity of a fire season. “In many forest ecosystems, reduced precipitation before and during the dry season can reduce fuel moisture and lower humidity near the surface, allowing fires to more easily escape from human control, and spread more rapidly over the landscape,” Randerson explained. “Low fuel moisture levels also make fires hotter, allow them to consume more fuel, and kill more of the trees inside the fire perimeter,” he said in an email to Mint.

Could El Nino have played a role?

The 2015-16 El Nino which is one of the strongest on record, has turned global weather systems upside down. In 2015, Indonesia was severely hit by forest fires, affecting 2 million hectares of land along with 45 million people and 250,000 hectares of crop area in 2015, according to Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System. The National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA), US, said that one of the most predictable consequences of a strong El Niño is a change in rainfall patterns over Indonesia. “This dry weather was especially problematic because it intensified seasonal fires, which are intentionally lit by farmers to clear land and manage crops,” according to NASA.

So could El Nino have played a role in India’s forest fires? “Climate change is causing a gradual but highly significant increasing trend in surface air temperatures, and it leads to record breaking extremes in many areas when it interacts with the normal periodic warming associated with an El Nino,” said Randerson. An important climate variable for fire is vapour pressure deficit, he explained. Vapour pressure deficit is a measure that combines temperature and relative humidity near the surface. Warmer temperatures and lower humidity cause vapour pressure deficit to increase which can dry fuels rapidly and allow fires to grow very fast.

“From a wildfire perspective, interactions between El Nino and climate warming can create new extremes in fire behaviour that are driven both by rainfall deficits and extreme temperatures,” said Randerson.

What is the damage?

Though the exact damage is yet to be ascertained, environment minister Prakash Javadekar said around 1,900 hectares of forest area is affected. Forest officials fear wildlife could have faced problems too.

India has very poor data regarding forest fire and damages caused by them. Losses like carbon sequential capability, soil moisture and nutrient losses due to forest fire are very difficult to be ascertained but are of utmost importance for environmental conservation. It also contributes to global warming.

What is the government doing about the forest fire in Uttarakhand?

On Sunday, the government said over 6,000 personnel from various state and central agencies are working to put out the raging forest fire in Uttarakhand. Javadekar said all top officers of the forest division are in Uttarakhand right now. “Our first priority is to douse the fire. We will then investigate if there is any foul play,” Javadekar added.

The worst forest fires in the last 25 years

According to a report, Forest Fire Disaster Management, by the National Institute of Disaster Management under the Union home ministry, the four worst forest fires in the last 20-25 years are:

1. 1995- Around 375,000 hectares area affected in Uttarakhand

2. 1999 – Around 80,000 hectares area in Ganga-Yamuna watershed

3. 2008 – About 10,000 hectares area in Melghat, Maharashtra

4. 2010 – Around 19,000 hectare forest area in Himachal Pradesh

From censor to certifier

A committee headed by film-maker Shyam Benegal has made a progressive and well-timed recommendation to the information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry that the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) should not impose excision on films and its role be limited to certification. This suggestion implies that the Board would have to jettison its proclivity to ban films or modify content and limit itself to certification under specific categories such as Adult, U12 or U15 (i.e. fit for viewing by those below 12 or 15 years of age) and so on. It is telling that for years, the CBFC has been baldly known by "Censor Board" - and it appears to have lived up to this relatively pejorative label in the new century. The roster of films the board has banned in the 2000s covers those that deal with the rights of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender), Islamic terrorists, the Gujarat riots, Hindu social mores, the Catholic church, sex, nudity and even one on Doon School.

Under the leadership of a self-proclaimed acolyte of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Pahlaj Nihalani, the Censor Board's activities touched new heights of absurdity. Last year, reportedly in consultation with a junior I&B minister, it thought fit to issue a list of acceptable Hindi swear-words to be used in cinema. It also recommended that kissing scenes be excised from the James Bond movie Spectre (did the Board really think that Indian audiences believed 007 was a celibate?). This year, it certified Jungle Book as U/A (that is, acceptable for children watching under adult supervision) on grounds that scenes of animated animals jumping out of the screen may frighten younger children - this for a generation that is weaned on video games depicting far greater violence.

Such escalating intervention suggests that the CBFC's role is that of an arbiter of Indian culture defined by the government of the day. This is out of sync with the demands of a modern and modernising society in an evolving democracy like India. In any country, it is possible that some people will be unhappy with some aspect of every movie that is released. In a uniquely multi-cultural society like India, this issue gets magnified several-fold. Governments, ever conscious of specific vote banks, can be expected to be vulnerable to such blandishments. To have a regulator affiliated to the government to carry out each ruling dispensation's cultural agenda is unhealthy and undesirable. The en masse resignation of the previous Board on account of being overruled on its decision to ban a tawdry film by a religious sect underlines the inevitable tensions between politics and culture in a free society. Definitions of obscenity or other cultural values are decisions that cannot be arbitrated.

Besides, it is all too well known that proscription is ultimately self-defeating thanks to the time-honoured and widespread traditions of samizdat values in all societies. In the old days it was manifest in the robust market for pirated films and music; today, technology makes access to banned films/scenes even easier via such open-sharing platforms as Torrents, among others. Indeed, it is a sign of a confident and mature society when censorship is applied with a light touch and that is the direction in which the Benegal panel is clearly pointing. It is also true that the movie industry has not helped itself in this regard. For example, the US movie industry suffered similar controversies from the early days and eventually sought a solution in the chaos of multiple censor boards by creating a self-regulating association headed by a paid professional. Though its functioning was far from perfect and controversies abounded, it evolved over the years into a voluntary movie classification system called the Motion Picture Code that rates a movie on the way the content is handled. Self-regulation is a handy principle for all creative businesses to follow - whether the media, art dealers, book publishers or the music industry - because it provides the best bulwark against the politicisation of culture.

Maiden Sea Trial of Kalvari - First Scorpene Class Submarine

Maiden Sea Trial of Kalvari - First Scorpene Class Submarine

 ‘Kalvari’, the first of the Scorpene class submarines, being built at the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd Mumbai (MDL), went to sea for the first time today. The submarine sailed out at about 1000 hrs under her own propulsion for the first sea trial, off the Mumbai coast and during the sortie. A number of number of preliminary tests on the propulsion system, Auxiliary Equipment and Systems, Navigation Aids, Communication Equipment and Steering gear. Various Standard Operating Procedures were also validated for this new class of submarines. The submarine then returned to harbor in the evening.

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The background brief of the project and development is attached.

MAIDEN SEA TRIAL OF FIRST SCORPENE SUBMARINE – 01 MAY 2016

‘Kalvari’, the first of the Scorpene class submarines, built at the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd Mumbai (MDL), went to sea for the first time today. The submarine sailed out at about 1000 hrs under her own propulsion for the first sea trial, off the Mumbai coast and during the sortie, completed a number of preliminary tests on the propulsion system, Auxiliary Equipment and Systems, Navigation Aids, Communication Equipment and Steering gear. Various Standard Operating Procedures were also validated for this new class of submarines. The submarine then returned to harbor in the evening.

This important milestone was achieved by MDL after overcoming a number of challenges faced since launching of the submarine last year in October. During the next few months, the submarine will undergo a barrage of sea trials, including surface trials, diving trials, weapon trials, Noise trials etc. which would test the submarine to the extremes of its intended operating envelop. Thereafter she would be commissioned into the Indian Navy as INS Kalvari later this year. Commissioning of Kalvari will be a re-affirmation of India’s capability to build submarines and a major boost for the ‘Make in India’ programme of the government.

           

            In April last year, the Hon’ble Raksha Mantri had visited MDL and directed that all out effort be made to complete the project in time. Accordingly, the teams from MDL, Indian Navy and DCNS have been working round the clock. Today, with the first sea sortie of Kalvari,  MDL has achieved a major project milestone.

Leveraging on the experience and the transfer-of-technology of the Scorpene project, and with the enhanced and upgraded infrastructure, MDL is ready for undertaking future submarine and shipbuilding projects, in order to meet the growing requirements of National Security.

Background

           

India joined the exclusive group of submarine constructing nations on                 07 February 1992, with the commissioning of the first Indian built submarine, INS Shalki. That was indeed a proud day for Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd, who had built this submarine. Mazagon Dock then went on to commission another submarine, INS Shankul, on 28 May 1994. These submarines are still in service today, after more than 20 years; testimony to the skills and capability of Mazagon Dock.

 

The ongoing project for the construction of six Scorpene class submarines, has M/s DCNS of France, as Collaborator and includes ‘Transfer of Technology’, with M/s MDL as the ‘Builder’.

Operational Features

            The state-of-art features of the Scorpene include superior stealth and the ability to launch a crippling attack on the enemy using precision guided weapons. The attack can be launched with torpedoes, as well as tube launched anti-ship missiles, whilst underwater or on surface. The Stealth features give it invulnerability, unmatched by many submarines.

The Scorpene Submarine is designed to operate in all theatres including the Tropics. All means and communications are provided to ensure interoperability with other components of a Naval Task Force. It can undertake multifarious types of missions typically undertaken by any modern submarine i.e  Anti-Surface warfare, Anti-Submarine warfare, Intelligence gathering, Mine Laying, Area Surveillance etc.

Construction Features

Submarines are built from special steel, capable of withstanding high yield stress and having high tensile strength, thereby allowing them to withstand high hydrostatic force and enabling them to dive deeper to further enhance stealth.

            The Submarine is built according to the principle of Modular Construction, which involves dividing the submarine into a number of sections and building them parallelly. The equipment is mounted onto Cradles and then embarked into the sections. The complexity of the task increases exponentially as it involves laying of around 60 kms of cabling and 11 kms of piping in extremely congested and limited space inside the submarine. Further, the stringent tolerances laid down for the construction of the Scorpene were indeed a challenge, but have been successfully achieved.

Other Features

The Scorpene is equipped with Weapons Launching Tubes (WLT), and can carry weapons on board which can be easily reloaded at sea, through special handling and loading equipment. The array of weapons and complex sensors fitted on board the Scorpene are managed by a high technology Combat Management System, which integrates various diverse systems fitted onboard into One Formidable Whole.

Status of Submarine

            The submarine was undocked on pontoon on 06 April 2015 in the presence of Hon’ble Raksha Mantri Shri Manohar Parrikar. After completing the important milestones of vacuum test and battery loading, the submarine was launched at the Naval Dockyard on 28 Oct 15 and thereafter brought back to MDL for completion of the Basin trials and Harbour Acceptance trials phase.

             After conquering numerous challenges faced during the ‘Setting to Work’ phase and undergoing rigorous harbour tests & trials to the complete satisfaction of the customer, the submarine is now fully ready to undergo for sea trials. 

‘Kalvari’ : The Tiger Shark

Kalvari is the dreaded Tiger Shark, a deadly deep sea predator. As is the tradition, ships and submarines of the Navy, are brought alive after decommissioning. The first Kalvari, which was also the first Indian submarine, was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 08 December 1967. She was decommissioned on 31 May 1996 after almost 30 years of yeoman service to the nation. In true nautical traditions, she will now be re-incarnated, by Mazagon Dock, once again a powerful predator of the deep, guarding the vast maritime interests and areas of our nation.

            The commissioning of Yard 11875 (Kalvari),  will not only mark a generational shift in technology, insofar as submarine construction in India is concerned, but also for submarine operations by the Indian Navy.

Contribution to National Security and Nation Building

With it’s history of constructing the Leander and Godavari class Frigates, Khukri class Corvettes, Delhi and Kolkata class Destroyers, Shivalik class Stealth Frigates,  1241 RE Missile Boats and the Shalki class submarines, there is now no doubt that MDL has deservedly earned the soubriquet ‘Warship and Submarine Builders to the Nation’.  

            MDL’s contribution to national security and nation building will continue with the P-15B class destroyers, the first of which was launched in April 2015, and the P-17A class stealth frigates, the follow-on of the P-17 Stealth Frigates.

Research and Development to Increase Production of Pulses

Research and Development to Increase Production of Pulses

Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is makingefforts and has taken a number of Research and Development (R&D) initiative towards pulses in the country. As a result, there has been about one-and-half-times improvement in the yield of pulses during the last 60 years from 500 kg/ha in 1954-55 to 728 kg/ha in 2014-15.

The systematic and concerted efforts of ICAR has led to the development of 59 high yielding climate-resilient varieties of pulses for different agro ecological situations during the last five years (2011-2015). Early maturing and thermo-tolerant varieties for newer niches and cropping systems have also been developed. To ensure availability of quality seed to the farmers, 69391 q breeder seeds of pulses were produced and supplied to different seed producing agencies for further multiplication during the last five years (2010-11 to 2014-15).

In order to boost the production of pulses in the country, the ICAR and DAC&FW under the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, have jointly prepared roadmap and action-plan with two-pronged approach of productivity enhancement and increasing production through area expansion under various ongoing Central schemes. The strategy includes increasing productivity of pulses by reducing the yield gap at the farmers’ fields through a mission mode programme for promoting improved technology of pulses, improving seed replacement rate (SRR), provision for life saving irrigation, ensuring availability of critical inputs with corresponding policy support in the form of attractive MSP, procurement, credit, insurance, subsidies, etc. to protect the interest of pulse growers.

Encouraging Organic Farming

Encouraging Organic Farming

            Government is promoting organic farming across the country under various Central Sector Schemes viz. National Mission of Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY), Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) and Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), National Mission on Oil Seeds and Oil Palm (NMOOP), National Food Security Mission(NFSM) and Network Project on Organic Farming Under ICAR etc. The pattern of assistance is given below.

The Department has been focusing on creating awareness and educating the farmers about organic farming practices in the areas where clusters are formed, under PKVY. The scheme guidelines provide a sum of Rs.80,000 per cluster to undertake mobilization of farmers through exposure visits and training. The National Centre of Organic Farming (NCOF), Ghaziabad, a unit under the department undertakes various extension and publicity activities like exhibitions, radio talks, TV programmes, distribution of literature on organic inputs/ organic farming etc to educate the farmers. NCOF is also publishing biannually Bio-Fertilizer Newsletter as well as quarterly Organic Farming Newsletter. In addition, various books on production and use of bio-fertilizers have been published in various languages for distribution to the farming community. Radio jingles on organic agriculture are broadcasted on 4 different FM Radio Stations including Delhi, Bangalore, Nagpur and Lucknow.

NCOF organizes 30 days certificate course on organic farming for skill development in organic agriculture sector for youth. It also conducts 10 days Refresher course for analysts under Fertilizer Control Order (FCO); 5 Days Trainers Training & 2 Days training for field functionaries and extension staff of the State Government.

NCOF has also been organizing farmers’ training and field demonstration programmes (FTFD) on organic farming since 2015-16 in various villages adopted by the Hon’ble Members of Parliament under “Sansad Aadarsh Gram Yojana” (SAGY), through its Regional Centres of Organic Farming (RCOFs). It has completed 300 no. of FTFD in 2015-16 and has scheduled 297 no. in the year 2016-17.

            Cost of organic agriculture largely depends on on-farm generation of inputs. When on-farm organic inputs are used, cost of production per unit area is less than by 13% under organic agriculture than inorganic management. However, if organic inputs from outside the farm are purchased and utilized, the cost of production increases by about 15-20% depending on the nature of inputs used. Integrated Organic Farming System (IOFS) models being developed under NPOF promises to meet 70-80% of organic inputs within the farm thus reducing the market input cost considerably.

   Government is providing assistance for establishment of large mechanised compost plants by State Governments/ other public sector/private industries/private entrepreneurs for fruit and vegetable waste/ agro waste compost unit. Also, assistance is provided to farmers for on-farm production of organic inputs.  The details of assistance are given below. The State-wise organic manure produced and available in the country is given below. 

A.    National Mission of Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA)-Organic & INM Component of Soil Health Management (SHM):

i)    Setting up of State of art liquid/ carrier based Biofertilizer/ Biopesticide units, 100% Assistance to State Govt/Govt. Agencies upto a maximum limit of Rs.160.00 lakh /unit and 25% of cost limited to Rs.40 lakh/unit for individuals/ private agencies through NABARD as capital investment of 200  Total Per Annum(TPA) production capacity.

ii)   Setting up of Bio-fertilizer and Organic fertilizer testing Quality Control Laboratory BOQCL) or Strengthening of existing Laboratory under FCO, assistance up to maximum limit of Rs. 85 lakh for new laboratory and up to a maximum limit of Rs. 45 lakh for strengthening of existing infrastructure to State Government Laboratory under Agriculture or Horticulture Department.

iii)  Promotion of Organic Inputs on farmer’s field (Manure, Vermi-compost, Bio-Fertilizers Liquid / solid, Waste compost, Herbal extracts etc.), 50 % of cost subject to a limit of Rs. 5000/- per ha and Rs. 10,000 per beneficiary.

iv)  Setting up of mechanized Fruit/ Vegetable market waste/ Agro waste compost production unit 100% financial assistance to State Government/ Government Agencies upto a maximum limit of Rs.190.00 lakh per unit and 33% of project cost maximum limited to Rs.63 lakh per unit for individuals/private agencies through NABARD as capital investment for establishment of agro/vegetable waste compost production units of 3000 Total Per Annum (TPA) production

v)   Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY): The scheme is implemented by the State Governments on a cluster basis of 20 hectare each. The farmer within the cluster is given following financial assistance for Integrated Manure Management.

a)      Liquid Bio-fertilizer consortia (Nitrogen fixing/ Phosphate Solubilizing/ potassium mobilizing bio-fertilizer) @ Rs.500/acre x 50 of Rs.25000 per cluster in first year.

b)      Liquid Biopesticides (Trichoderma viridae, Pseudomonas, fluorescens, Matarhizium, Beaviourie bassiana, Pacelomyces, verticillium) 2 Rs.500/ acre x 50 of Rs.25000 per cluster in second year.

c) Phosphate Rich Organic Manure (PTOM) as per specification given in FCO,1985 @Rs1000/acreX50  of Rs   50000  in first year for procuring and application of PROM.

d)     Farmer can take up any pest control mechanism easily available in their local area @Rs 500/acreX50 of Rs.25000 in second year.

e) Vermicompost ( size 7’x3’x1) @ Rs 5000/unit X50of Rs 250000 will be assisted for procurement of earthworms, preparation of pits, etc for construction of vermi composting pits.

      The detail guidelines are uploaded in web site www.agricoop.gov.in.

B.     Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH)

1. Adoption of Organic Farming. -50% of cost limited to Rs. 10000/ha for a maximum area of 4 ha. per beneficiary, spread over a period of 3 years involving assistance of Rs.4000/- in first year and Rs.3000/- each in second & third year. The programme to be linked with certification.

2. Organic Certification - Rs. 5 lakh for a cluster of 50 ha which will include Rs. 1.50 lakh in first year, Rs. 1.50 lakh in second year and Rs. 2.00 lakh in third year.

3.  Vermi compost Units/organic input production - 50% of cost conforming to the size of the unit of 30’X8’X2.5’ dimension of permanent structure to be administered on pro-rata basis. For HDPE Vermibed, 50% of cost conforming to the size of 96 cft (12’X4’X2’) and IS 15907:2010 to be administered on pro-rata basis (Rs. 100,000/ unit for permanent structure and Rs. 16,000/unit for HDPE Vermibed).

C.  National Mission on Oilseeds and Oil Palm (NMOOP): Financial assistance is being provided for different type of components including bio-fertilisers, Supply of Rhizobium culture/Phosphate Solubilising Bacteria (PSB)/ Zinc Solubilising Bacteria (ZSB)/ Azatobacter/ Mycorrhiza and vermi compost.

D.  National Food Security Mission (NFSM): Under NFSM, financial assistance is provided for promotion of Bio-Fertilizer (Rhizobium/PSB) @50% of the cost limited to Rs.300 per ha.

F.   Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY): Organic Farming projects are considered by respective State Level Sanctioning committee

G.  Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR): The Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR), Pusa under Network project on Soil Biodiversity-Biofertiliser has developed improved and efficient strains of biofertiliser specific to different crops and soil types. Liquid Biofertiliser technology with higher shelf life has also been developed. The ICAR also imparts training, organizes Front Line Demonstrations (FLDs) to educate farmers on all these aspect. ICAR through its Plan Scheme “National Project on Organic Farming” (NPOF) is undertaking research to develop location specific organic farming package of practices for crops and cropping systems. Presently, the project is being implemented in 20 centres covering 16 states

only two states give more than half of income tax