Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) Explained | Latest Agri Current Affairs for IBPS AFO

Summary

1. What RKVY Is and Why It Remains Current Affairs

Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) is a government scheme focused on agricultural development, particularly sustainable agriculture. It was launched in 2007–08 under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

An older scheme can remain relevant to current affairs when it is revised or reorganized. RKVY’s major changes were:

• 2007–08: RKVY began.
• 2017: It was revised as RKVY-RAFTAAR.
• 2024: It was reorganized as the PM-RKVY Cafeteria Scheme.

An umbrella scheme is a broad programme that contains multiple sub-schemes.

2. Funding Model and State Flexibility

RKVY is described as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, meaning the Centre and states share the costs. This differs from a central sector scheme, which the instructor describes as fully funded by the central government.

State or territory Centre’s share State’s share General states 60% 40% North-Eastern and Himalayan states 90% 10% Union Territories Funding provided by the central government —

A central principle of RKVY is to let states choose agricultural projects according to their local needs, climate, geography and farmers’ priorities. Projects may relate to oilseeds, grains, fruit or agricultural startups.

3. Main Objectives of the Original RKVY

The lecture identifies three broad objectives:

• Give states flexibility to plan agricultural development suited to local conditions.
• Increase agricultural productivity and make farming more remunerative.
  • Production means the total crop output from a given area.
  • Productivity means output per unit of land.
  • The stated aim is to raise productivity and, in turn, improve farmers’ income.
• Support agricultural startups and agripreneurship, encouraging innovation, employment and opportunities for rural youth.

4. RKVY-RAFTAAR

The instructor gives RAFTAAR as “Remunerative Approach for the Revival of Agriculture and Allied Sectors.”

Its aims include:

• Making agriculture a more profitable economic activity.
• Strengthening farmers’ efforts and reducing risks.
• Promoting agribusiness entrepreneurs and startups.
• Developing pre-harvest and post-harvest infrastructure.
• Giving states autonomy and flexibility in implementing projects.
• Improving agricultural value chains by connecting farmers with markets, processing and marketing.
• Encouraging additional income-generating activities such as integrated farming, mushroom cultivation, beekeeping, aromatic plants and floriculture.

The lecture distinguishes ordinary commercial farming from Agribusiness Management (ABM). ABM covers more of the chain—production, harvesting, processing, packaging, branding, promotion and marketing—not just growing and selling a crop.

5. RKVY-RAFTAAR Budget and Fund Allocation

The lecturer states that the 2025–26 allocation is ₹8,500 crore. The overall fund is divided as follows:

Allocation Share of overall fund Infrastructure and assets 70% Special sub-schemes 20% Innovation and agri-entrepreneurship 10%

The 70% infrastructure-and-assets portion is further divided as follows:

Use of infrastructure-and-assets allocation Share of that allocation Pre-harvest infrastructure 20% Post-harvest infrastructure 30% Value-addition-linked production projects 30% Flexible fund for state-specific innovative projects 20%

These inner percentages apply to the 70% infrastructure allocation, not to the total fund.

6. Innovation and Agri-Entrepreneurship Development Programme

The programme is described as having begun in 2018–19 to support startups in agriculture and allied sectors. Support may include financial assistance, technical support, incubation and mentorship.

The instructor explains the startup stages as follows:

• Pre-seed stage: An early idea or prototype stage, when the entrepreneur is still testing the concept.
• Seed stage: The idea or product is more developed, and the entrepreneur is ready to launch or has begun implementation.

Funding figures stated in the lecture:

• Pre-seed: Up to ₹5 lakh, or 90% of the project cost; the entrepreneur contributes the remaining 10%.
• Seed: Up to ₹25 lakh, or 85% of the project cost; the entrepreneur contributes the remaining 15%.

The instructor characterizes this assistance as a grant or subsidy rather than a loan, provided the money is used for the approved project. Misuse could lead to repayment.

The lecture cites programme results for 2019–20 to 2023–24: 1,554 startups supported (the transcript is unclear here), 387 women-led startups, and ₹111.57 crore in assistance. These figures are approximate because the auto-generated subtitles are garbled.

The instructor also says that 25% of projects sanctioned by a state each year are to undergo third-party monitoring and evaluation.

7. PM-RKVY Cafeteria Scheme and Consolidation of Schemes

In 2024, RKVY was reorganized into the PM-RKVY Cafeteria Scheme. The lecturer describes the restructuring as an effort to improve coordination, reduce duplication and make programmes more effective by bringing related schemes under an umbrella.

Schemes or components named in the lecture include:

• Soil Health Management
• Rainfed Area Development
• Agroforestry
• Agricultural Mechanization, including crop-waste management
• Per Drop More Crop
• Crop Diversification Programme
• RKVY Detailed Project Report component
• Accelerator Fund for Agri-Startups

The lecturer says seven schemes were merged, although the subtitles list eight named items. The spoken count and list therefore appear inconsistent.

8. Two Broad Umbrella Schemes and Their Components

The lecture says centrally sponsored agriculture schemes were rationalized under two umbrella schemes: PM-RKVY and Krishi Unnati Yojana.

Components listed under PM-RKVY include:

• RKVY Detailed Project Report-based scheme
• Soil Health Card
• Rainfed Area Development
• Per Drop More Crop
• Micro Irrigation Fund
• Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization
• Drone Promotion
• Crop Residue Management
• Agroforestry

Components listed under Krishi Unnati Yojana include:

• National Food Security Mission
• Sub-Mission on Seeds and Planting Material
• Sub-Mission on Oil Palm Development
• Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture
• National Bamboo Mission
• Integrated Scheme for Agricultural Marketing
• MOVCDNER (Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region)
• Sub-Mission on Agricultural Extension
• Digital Agriculture

The instructor says there are nine components under each umbrella, or 18 in total. The subtitles’ spellings and grouping of some names may be imperfect.

9. Broader Rationale for Rationalization

The lecture presents the restructuring as a way to:

• Reduce overlap between schemes and improve coordination.
• Allow states to prepare a comprehensive Annual Action Plan rather than seeking approval scheme by scheme.
• Address wider agricultural challenges, including nutritional security, sustainability, climate resilience, value-chain development and private-sector participation.

The instructor also cites an overall outlay of about ₹1,01,321 crore for the broader reorganization and mentions component allocations, but the spoken figures are inconsistent in the subtitles.

Speakers and Sources Featured

• Main speaker: An agriculture instructor addressing the class as “Sir”; the video metadata identifies the instructor as Deepak Sir.
• Student participants: Viewers asking questions in the live chat, including a participant named Sunana. The subtitles do not identify other student speakers by name.
• Sources discussed: The instructor’s explanations of Indian government agriculture schemes and their stated guidelines, budgets and components. No separate interviewee or external speaker is featured in the subtitles.