Soil Health Card scheme

Topic: Soils of India: Types, Degradation and Conservation · NCERT: Beyond NCERT

Meaning

The Soil Health Card (SHC) scheme is a government scheme, launched on 19 February 2015 at Suratgarh (Sri Ganganagar district, Rajasthan). It tests each farm's soil for 12 parameters and gives the farmer a card with crop-wise fertiliser advice, renewed every two years [2]. It matters because Indian farmers use far too much nitrogen (mostly urea) and too little of other nutrients. The card swaps guesswork for a soil test, so each field gets only what it lacks.

Explanation

Why the scheme was needed (the problem)

• The ideal N:P:K ratio is 4:2:1. N is nitrogen, P is phosphorus and K is potassium. India's actual use leans heavily towards nitrogen because farmers rely on urea [3][4].
• Punjab is in the "very wide ratio" category, at more than 20:5:1 (2025-26 data) [3][4].

• Earlier, India's use stood at 1.00 : 0.33 : 0.17, against a world average of 1.00 : 0.52 : 0.40 (FAO, 2000s). The imbalance began in the early Green Revolution years [5].

• "Nitrogen as a shovel":

• Heavy nitrogen makes the crop grow fast.
• The fast-growing crop pulls P, K, sulphur (S) and zinc (Zn) out of the soil.

• So nitrogen "mines" the soil of its other nutrients [5].

• Hidden hunger of soils:

• Nutrient depletion is reported in all 15 agro-climatic regions of India. Each year, crops remove 8–10 million tonnes more N + P₂O₅ + K₂O than farmers add (FAO estimate) [5].

• Deficiency of sulphur and zinc is spreading, and boron deficiency is also common. Where zinc is short, crops respond poorly even to full N-P-K doses [5].

• Low soil organic carbon (SOC): SOC is the carbon stored in decayed plant matter and microbe remains, and it is the main part of humus. Many Indian soils have less than 0.5 per cent SOC. Heat, frequent ploughing and stubble burning are the causes.

• Five decades of long-term fertiliser experiments under ICAR show the same result. Using only nitrogen harms soil health and yields, and it leaves other nutrients deficient [3][4].

How it works (soil test → card → balanced use)

• Step 1, sampling: soil is taken from the farmer's field.
• Step 2, testing: a soil-testing lab checks the 12 parameters.
• Step 3, the card: the farmer gets a card showing what the soil has and what it lacks, with crop-wise fertiliser doses.
• Step 4, renewal: the soil is tested again and the card is renewed every two years. This tracks how the soil changes.
• Result: the farmer adds only the missing nutrients. This is called precise fertiliser application: the right nutrient, in the right amount, at the right time.

The 12 parameters [2]

Group	Parameters
Macronutrients (needed in large amounts)	N, P, K, S
Micronutrients (needed in tiny amounts)	Zn, Fe, Cu, Mn, B
Physical/chemical	pH (how acidic or alkaline the soil is), EC (electrical conductivity, a measure of salt content), OC (organic carbon)

Present status and supporting steps

• Since 2022-23, the SHC scheme is a component of RKVY (Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana), under the name "Soil Health & Fertility" [1].
• Scale:
• ₹1,706.18 crore released to states and UTs, and 8,272 soil-testing labs set up (February 2025) [1].

• Over 25 crore cards distributed (July 2025) [2].

• Related steps:

• Neem-coated urea was made mandatory in 2015. Its neem-oil coating releases nitrogen slowly, so less is wasted [3][4].
• Nano urea packs nutrients into very small particles that release slowly, so plants take them up better. A pilot project is running in 100 districts (2025-26) [3][4].

Where it occurs

• Launch place: Suratgarh, Sri Ganganagar district, Rajasthan, on 19 February 2015.
• Coverage: all of India. The Centre releases funds to states and UTs, which run the soil-testing labs and hand out the cards [1].
• Who runs it: the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. Since 2022-23 it runs as part of RKVY [1].
• Areas that need it most:
• The rice-wheat belt of Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh. Legumes have been dropped from the crop rotation there, urea use is very high, and paddy straw is burnt.
• Punjab has a ratio of more than 20:5:1, and Haryana is also well above 4:2:1 [3][4].

Don't confuse with

• Neem-coated urea (2015): this changes the fertiliser itself so nitrogen is released slowly. The SHC changes how much of each nutrient a farmer uses, based on a soil test.
• Nano urea: a new tiny-particle form of nitrogen fertiliser, now being piloted in 100 districts. It is a product, not a soil-testing scheme [3][4].
• Sikkim's organic model: Sikkim banned chemical fertilisers in 2014 and became India's first 100 per cent organic state in 2016. The SHC does not ban fertilisers. It aims for balanced, need-based use.
• Recommended vs actual ratio: 4:2:1 is the ideal N:P:K ratio. >20:5:1 is Punjab's actual ratio [3].

Prelims Hooks

• SHC was launched on 19 February 2015 at Suratgarh, Rajasthan, not in Gujarat or Punjab.
• The card tests 12 parameters: N, P, K, S, Zn, Fe, Cu, Mn, B, pH, EC and OC [2]. A common trap is "only N, P, K".
• EC on the card measures salt content, and OC means organic carbon.
• Cards are renewed every 2 years. Since 2022-23 the scheme is part of RKVY as "Soil Health & Fertility" [1].
• Over 25 crore cards distributed (July 2025) [2]; 8,272 soil-testing labs set up (February 2025) [1].
• The recommended N:P:K ratio is 4:2:1, and Punjab's is >20:5:1 [3][4].

Mains Points

• Causes of soil fertility decline (GS-III):
• Nitrogen-heavy urea use, with Punjab at more than 20:5:1 against the ideal 4:2:1 [3].
• Legumes dropped from rice-wheat rotations, shorter fallows (periods when land is left uncropped to recover), stubble burning and intensive tillage.

• The result is SOC below 0.5 per cent and spreading deficiency of S, Zn and B [5].

• Policy response and its limits:

• The approach is soil test → crop-wise prescription. The SHC (more than 25 crore cards, 8,272 labs) is now merged into RKVY, and neem-coated urea and nano urea support it [1][2][3].

• The weak points are lab quality, how many farmers actually follow the card's advice, and the urea subsidy that keeps nitrogen cheap.

• Sustainable pathway: combine soil-test-based balanced fertiliser use with traditional methods: legume rotation, organic manure, mulching and ploughing back crop residue. This is a middle path between the Green Revolution's high yields and Sikkim's fully organic model.

Related concepts

• Nitrogen fixation
• Soil organic carbon
• Mulching

Read more

• Soil-crop linkages and nurturing soil fertility