Centre cracks whip on soil health card delay in UP

The Modi government has shot off a terse letter to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav reminding him of the poor progress made by the state in issuing soil health cards to farmers.

Agriculture Minister Radhamohan Singh has told Yadav that the state government has “not performed to its potential” and has analysed only 22,894 soil samples till December 9, 2015 as against the target of 18 lakh samples.

Soil Health Card is a flagship initiative of the Modi government that aims to identify the soil condition ad recommend crop-wise requirement of fertilisers to farmers, a step that may help increase farm production.

The Centre appears keen to show results of the scheme in the crucial state of Uttar Pradesh where assembly elections are scheduled to be held in early 2017. In the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had won 71 of the 80 seats and wants to repeat the feat in the state polls.

While launching the initiative on February 19, 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had set the target of collecting soil samples from fields of 47.7 lakh farmers over a period of three years. In September, the government decided that the task should be speeded up and completed within two years. Accordingly, states were given revised targets.

The target for Uttar Pradesh was increased to 18 lakh from 15.90 lakh for 2015-16 fiscal and from 15.90 lakh to 29.70 lakh for 2016-17.

“A review of the performance of various state governments shows that UP has not been performing to its potential,” Singh said in a letter to the state Chief Minister.

He said soil health was one of the most important issues in agriculture especially in irrigated areas where extensive use of urea has resulted in deterioration in soil health.

“In view of this, it is requested that you may kindly monitor this programme at your level so that the targets fixed for UP are achieved,” the minister said.