School Soil Health Programme

09.03.2024

School Soil Health Programme , Daily Current Affairs , RACE IAS : Best IAS Coaching in Lucknow 

 Why in the news?

  Recently, the School Soil Health Program was inaugurated by the Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and Union Minister of Rural Development.

Important points:

• Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shri Arjun Munda and Union Rural Development Minister Shri Giriraj Singh jointly inaugurated four major initiatives in the agriculture sector along with the School Soil Health Programme.
  • School Soil Health Programme.
  • Revised Soil Health Card Portal and Mobile Application.
  • Krishi Sakhi Convergence Programme.
  • Central Fertilizer Quality Control and Training Institute Portal

About School Soil Health Programme:

• The Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare in collaboration with the Department of School Education and Literacy has launched a pilot project on School Soil Health Programme.
• Under this project, 20 soil laboratories have been established in 20 Central and Navodaya Vidyalaya schools in rural areas.
• Under this, study modules were developed and training was given to students and teachers.
• Kendriya Vidyalaya, Navodaya Vidyalaya and Eklavya Model Schools have been taken under this programme.
• The mobile application was adapted to the school program and the portal has a separate section for the program, where all the activities of the students are documented.
• Schools are being added to the portal and online batches are being created.
• Soil laboratories will be set up in these schools by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare through National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).
• Under this, school students will collect soil samples, conduct tests in laboratories established in schools and make soil health cards.
• After making the soil health card, they will go to the farmers and educate them about the recommendations of the soil health card.

Importance:

• This will provide students with the opportunity to conduct experiments, analyze soil samples and explore the fascinating biodiversity within the soil.
• This program will provide students with the opportunity to conduct experiments, analyze soil samples and explore the fascinating biodiversity within the soil.
• By engaging in practical activities, students will develop critical thinking skills, problem-solving abilities and a holistic understanding of the interconnectedness of ecosystems
• Students will learn about sustainable agricultural practices, the impact of human activities on soil health, and the role each of us plays in preserving the delicate balance of our ecosystems.

Revised Soil Health Card Portal and Mobile Application:

• The Soil Health Card portal has been redesigned and a mobile application for soil sample collection and testing has been introduced.
• The portal has a soil laboratory registry and status of laboratories can be viewed on a real time basis.
•  Laboratories are mapped with geo-coordinates on the portal.
• The portal has the facility to show real time data of soil sample collection, testing in laboratories and creation of soil health cards.
• App based QR code enabled soil sample collection system has been launched in Soil Health Card mobile application.
• Under the new portal, a centralized dashboard has been made available at the national, state and district level.

Krishi Sakhi Convergence Programme:

• Krishi Sakhis are the driving force behind rural change.
• To further promote this revolution, as a part of the Convergence Initiative, an MoU was signed on 30.08.2023 between the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and the Ministry of Rural Development to unify their programs.
• As a part of the MoU, a joint initiative i.e. Krishi Sakhi Training Program was launched to certify 70,000 Krishi Sakhis as “Para-Extension Workers”.

Central Fertilizer Quality Control and Training Institute Portal:

• One Time Password (OTP)/SMS application facility for sample collection and testing at ports has been introduced in the Fertilizer Quality Control System (FQCS) portal.
• In the new portal, an OTP will be generated by the system and sent to the mobile number of the authorized persons of the importer.
• In which the person can verify that the details have been filled by the Fertilizer Inspector in the prescribed Form-J as FCO.

                                                   Source: PIB