In the run-up to the finalisation of the 12th Five-Year Plan (2012-17),the Agriculture Ministry has decided to rationalise its range of Central sector schemes,marking some of them as national priorities and leaving state governments to focus on items based on their needs. The Department of Agriculture and Cooperation,which is currently running over 50 Centrally-sponsored schemes under 19 major themes,has decided to run only eight major schemes in the 12th Plan. It aims to further cut the number in the 13th Plan period. Apart from Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana,the Ministry has decided to absorb 52 schemes into seven major schemes that Centre should drive from Delhi as per national priorities, Agriculture Secretary P K Basu said on Monday. The Deputy Chairperson of the Planning Commission was learnt to have been apprised about this decision by Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar during their meeting last week. Both have agreed in-principle, Basu said. The Commission has already set up a committee under B K Chaturvedi to review the entire Centrally sponsored schemes and suggest potential ways of their consolidation to bring significant reduction in their number.
