“Save both people and fields”: Union Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan launches nationwide ‘Khet Bachao Abhiyan’ from Taraori in Karnal

1. At a Glance

• Khet Bachao Abhiyan is a national awareness campaign run by the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare. It asks farmers to stop the unbalanced use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, to protect both soil health and human health. [1]
• On 22 Oct 2026, Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched it nationwide from Taraori (Karnal, Haryana). Farmers, scientists and officials joined online from Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) across the country. [1]
• UPSC relevance: it brings together several examinable areas. These are fertiliser subsidy policy, the Soil Health Card, PM-PRANAM, crop diversification, green ammonia/green hydrogen and PMAY-G (GS-III agriculture and environment, plus GS-II welfare schemes). [1][4][6][8]

2. Why in the News

• 22 Oct 2026: the nationwide launch at Taraori. A village-level public awareness drive was announced for 22 Oct – 30 Nov 2026. [1]
• At the same event, as Rural Development Minister, Chouhan handed over approval for ₹1,343.06 crore to build 28,422 permanent houses under PMAY-G in Haryana. [1]
• Earlier, PIB covered a launch of the campaign from Raisen, Madhya Pradesh, and a concluding ceremony in Haryana attended by CM Nayab Singh Saini. This shows the campaign has run in phases. [2][3]

3. Background & Evolution

• 19 Feb 2015: PM launched the Soil Health Card (SHC) Scheme at Suratgarh, Rajasthan. [4]
• 2022-23 onwards: SHC was merged into RKVY as the component "Soil Health & Fertility". [5]
• 28 Jun 2023: CCEA approved PM-PRANAM, which rewards States/UTs for reducing chemical fertiliser use. [6]
• National Green Hydrogen Mission: target of 5 MMT annual production by 2030. Green hydrogen is the feedstock for the green ammonia that the Minister linked to fertiliser self-reliance (atmanirbharta). [8][1]
• Earlier Khet Bachao phases:
• A launch from Raisen (MP). [3]

• A Haryana concluding ceremony, where the Haryana FPO Mission was also launched. There the campaign was described as moving from a short-term drive to a long-term national mission. [2]

• Oct 2026: the national launch from Taraori. [1]

4. Core Static Facts

5. Multi-Dimensional Analysis

Economic

• Subsidy outgo is above ₹1.5 lakh crore. Overuse wastes farmers' money as well as public funds. [1]
• Cheap fertiliser pushes up urea use. Price signals alone cannot correct this, so behaviour change becomes the policy lever. [1]
• PM-PRANAM gives States a fiscal reason to reduce use, through a 50% share of the savings. [6]

Environmental

• The Minister warned that soil could "refuse to produce crops" if imbalanced fertiliser use continues. [1]
• Rotating paddy–wheat with pulses restores soil nitrogen and diversifies cropping. [1]
• Green ammonia would decarbonise fertiliser feedstock. [1][8]

Social / Health

• Pesticide residues in food were described as turning the human body into a "breeding ground for diseases". This links the campaign to food safety. [1]
• Bundling PMAY-G housing at the same event adds a welfare message for the rural poor. [1]

Scientific / Technological

• The SHC prescribes nutrient doses for a specific plot, and the card can now be checked on a mobile phone. [1][4]
• Green ammonia is built on the National Green Hydrogen Mission. [8]

Administrative / Federal

• Agriculture is a State subject. The Centre works through campaigns, KVKs and incentive-linked schemes such as PM-PRANAM and RKVY. [5][6]
• Running the campaign in phases (MP, then Haryana, then nationwide) allows it to be piloted and scaled up. [2][3]

6. Recent Developments (last 12–18 months)

• 2026 (date not verified): launch from Raisen, MP. [3]
• 2026 (date not verified): Haryana concluding ceremony with CM Nayab Singh Saini; Haryana FPO Mission launched. [2]
• 22 Oct 2026: nationwide launch from Taraori, Karnal; awareness drive until 30 Nov 2026. [1]
• 22 Oct 2026: ₹1,343.06 crore PMAY-G sanction for 28,422 houses in Haryana. [1]

7. Prelims Hooks

• The nationwide Khet Bachao Abhiyan was launched from Taraori, Karnal district, Haryana on 22 Oct 2026. [1]
• The awareness campaign runs from 22 Oct to 30 Nov 2026. [1]
• Nodal ministry: Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare, not Chemicals & Fertilisers. [1]
• Farmer price of a bag of urea is ₹266; a bag of DAP is ₹1,350. [1]
• Centre's fertiliser subsidy: more than ₹1.5 lakh crore. [1]
• 28,422 PMAY-G houses were sanctioned for Haryana at ₹1,343.06 crore. [1]
• The approval letter was received by Haryana Agriculture Minister Shyam Singh Rana. [1]
• The Soil Health Card Scheme was launched on 19 Feb 2015 at Suratgarh, Rajasthan. [4]
• SHC is now the "Soil Health & Fertility" component of RKVY (from 2022-23). [5]
• PM-PRANAM was approved by the CCEA on 28 Jun 2023. [6]
• PM-PRANAM incentive = 50% of fertiliser subsidy saved. The baseline is the previous 3 years' average. [6]
• Fertilisers covered by PM-PRANAM: Urea, DAP, NPK, MOP. [6]
• National Green Hydrogen Mission target: 5 MMT per year by 2030. [8]

8. Why Farmers Overuse Urea: The Price Tells Them To

• The government fixes the urea price, but not the price of P and K fertilisers
• Urea's price is controlled by the government. Phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) fertilisers are sold at market-set prices under the Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS), a system where the subsidy is a fixed amount per kg of nutrient [9].
• So a farmer pays ₹266 for a bag of urea but ₹1,350 for a bag of DAP [1].

• The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Chemicals and Fertilisers says this price gap leads farmers to use too much urea [9].

• The result shows up in the NPK ratio (how much nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium we use compared with each other)

• The recommended ratio is 4:2:1. India's actual ratio has been reported at 6.7:2.4:1, far too heavy on nitrogen [10].

• The campaign's first principle is balanced use. But every time a farmer buys fertiliser, the price pushes them the other way.

• Most of the urea never reaches the crop

• Nitrogen use efficiency (NUE, the share of applied nitrogen that the crop actually takes up) in India is estimated at only 30–45% [12].
• So 55–70% of the nitrogen is lost to air, water or soil. Since the Centre spends more than ₹1.5 lakh crore on fertiliser subsidy [1], public money is lost along with it.

9. Can Awareness Do What Price Reform Has Not?

• The strongest case for the campaign
• Raising the urea price hurts small farmers straight away and is politically very hard. Persuasion costs little and has no such political cost.
• There is evidence that advice helps when farmers follow it. A National Productivity Council (NPC) study found that using fertiliser as the Soil Health Card advises saved 8–10% on fertiliser and raised yields by 5–6% [13].

• This part of the argument is right: the Soil Health Card advice works on the farms where it is used.

• Why that is not enough

• The Soil Health Card has a weak record in practice. A CAG audit in Gujarat found that soil health card management, meant to tell farmers what fertiliser their soil needs, did not work as intended [14].
• The awareness drive lasts only about 40 days (22 Oct – 30 Nov 2026) [1]. Urea stays cheap every season after that.

• PM-PRANAM pays the State, not the farmer: 50% of the subsidy saved goes to the State/UT [6]. The farmer at the shop counter still sees no price reason to cut urea.

• Fair conclusion: awareness can help price reform, but it cannot replace it. That is why the Standing Committee asked for the NBS policy itself to be reviewed [9].

10. Why Breaking the Paddy–Wheat Cycle Needs Money, Not Just Advice

• Paddy is draining Haryana's groundwater, in the very district where the campaign was launched
• Haryana's stage of groundwater extraction (water pumped out compared with water that recharges each year) is 136.75%. The State takes out more than nature puts back [15].
• 91 of its 143 assessment units (63.64%) are 'over-exploited' [15].

• So the campaign's crop rotation principle is about water as well as soil nitrogen.

• Haryana already pays farmers to switch, which shows that advice alone does not move them

• Under Mera Pani Meri Virasat, Haryana raised its payment to farmers who give up paddy from ₹7,000 to ₹8,000 per acre [16].
• It also raised support for direct sowing of paddy (sowing seed directly, without flooded nurseries) from ₹4,000 to ₹4,500 per acre [16].

• The State keeps raising these payments. That suggests farmers need a money reason to switch, not only advice.

• The Centre's own scheme points the same way

• The Crop Diversification Programme in Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh aims to move land from paddy to pulses, oilseeds and millets [15][16].
• The campaign's rotation advice will work only if it is linked to such money-backed schemes.

11. The Soil Is Short of More Than Nitrogen

• Overusing urea creates hidden shortages
• The Standing Committee (Report No. 15, December 2025) found that imbalanced fertiliser use, mainly of urea, together with low organic matter, is causing micronutrient deficiencies (shortages of trace nutrients like zinc and boron that crops need in small amounts) [11].

• It warned that soil health can decline slowly through multi-nutrient deficiency [11].

• Why this matters for the campaign

• Cutting urea alone will not repair the soil. Organic matter and micronutrients have to be put back as well.
• This links the campaign to PM-PRANAM's goal of alternate fertilisers and organic and natural farming [7].

12. What Should Follow After 30 November

• Department of Fertilisers: review urea pricing under NBS
• The Standing Committee recommended reviewing the NBS policy so that it no longer rewards overuse of urea [9].

• Without this step, the campaign's message and the market price keep pulling in opposite directions.

• MoA&FW: measure results, not attendance

• The campaign should report change in fertiliser sales by district, not just the number of farmers who attended.

• PM-PRANAM already has a ready yardstick: each State's use against its own previous 3-year average [6].

• States: pay farmers to rotate crops

• Haryana's ₹8,000 per acre under Mera Pani Meri Virasat is a working model that other paddy–wheat States can study [16].

• Make the Soil Health Card advice actually reach farmers

• NPC found that following the card's advice saves fertiliser [13], but the CAG found that card management failed in practice [14].
• Checking cards on mobile [1] helps only if the advice also reaches the farmer when they buy fertiliser.

13. Anchors for Answers

• Data: NPK use ratio about 6.7:2.4:1, against the recommended 4:2:1 [10]
• Data: Nitrogen use efficiency in India only 30–45%; most applied nitrogen is lost [12]
• Data: Haryana's groundwater extraction at 136.75%; 91 of 143 units over-exploited [15]
• Data: Following Soil Health Card advice gave 8–10% fertiliser savings and 5–6% higher yield (NPC study) [13]
• Report/Committee: Standing Committee on Chemicals and Fertilisers, Report No. 15 (Dec 2025): imbalanced urea use is causing micronutrient deficiency [11]; it recommended reviewing NBS because controlled urea prices drive overuse [9]
• Report/Committee: CAG audit (Gujarat, 2013): Soil Health Card management did not work as intended [14]
• Scheme: Mera Pani Meri Virasat (Haryana): ₹8,000 per acre to give up paddy, a money-backed version of the campaign's crop rotation principle [16]
• Scheme: PM-PRANAM: rewards States, not farmers, for cutting fertiliser use [6]

14. Mains Relevance

• GS-III:
• Major crops and cropping patterns.
• Farm subsidies.
• Issues related to farm inputs.

• Environmental pollution and degradation.

• GS-II: government schemes for vulnerable sections (PMAY-G); Centre–State relations in agriculture.

• Model question stems: 1. "Subsidised fertilisers have distorted the NPK ratio and harmed soil health in India." Examine, and suggest measures, including recent campaigns and PM-PRANAM. 2. Can awareness campaigns such as Khet Bachao Abhiyan deliver what price reform has not, in rationalising fertiliser use? Discuss critically. 3. Breaking the paddy–wheat cycle is essential for the ecological sustainability of north-western Indian agriculture. Analyse.

15. Related Topics to Study Next

• Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) and the urea pricing regime: this explains why urea is overused relative to P and K.
• Soil Health Card / RKVY: the main tool behind the campaign's first principle.
• PM-PRANAM: the fiscal incentive that runs alongside the behaviour campaign.
• National Mission on Natural Farming and organic farming: alternatives to chemical-heavy farming.
• Nano urea / nano DAP: input-efficiency technologies.
• National Green Hydrogen Mission and green ammonia: the route to fertiliser self-reliance.
• Crop diversification and pulses self-sufficiency: linked to the crop rotation principle.
• History of Taraori (Tarain): a site of medieval battles; useful for GS-I cross-linking. Check the dates in a standard text.

16. NCERT Concepts to Revise

• Nutrient-based subsidy (Economy): Explains why urea is price-controlled while P and K fertilisers are market-priced, pushing farmers to overuse urea.
• NPK ratio (Economy): The note's key evidence: India's actual ratio is skewed towards nitrogen, far from the recommended 4:2:1.
• Soil Health Card scheme (Geography): Tool behind the campaign's first principle of balanced fertiliser use; its weak implementation is discussed.
• Fertiliser subsidy (Economy): Over ₹1.5 lakh crore subsidy keeps urea cheap and drives overuse, the campaign's core problem.
• Crop rotation (Economy): The campaign's second principle: breaking the paddy-wheat cycle with pulses to restore soil nitrogen.
• Natural farming (Economy): Alternative to chemical-heavy farming that PM-PRANAM promotes to repair soil organic matter and micronutrients.

17. Common Errors / Trap Areas

• Ministry confusion: the fertiliser subsidy is administered by the Department of Fertilisers (Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilisers). This campaign is run by MoA&FW.
• Launch venue: PIB records links to Raisen (MP) and to a Haryana concluding event. The nationwide launch in Oct 2026 was at Taraori, Karnal. [1][2][3]
• PM-PRANAM name: the official expansion is "PM Programme for Restoration, Awareness Generation, Nourishment and Amelioration of Mother-Earth". Some PIB material gives a different expansion. [6]
• SHC frequency: PIB releases variously say cards are issued every 2 years (early cycles) or every 3 years (recent material). Read the stem carefully.
• Mixed-up numbers: ₹266 is urea and ₹1,350 is DAP. Also, ₹1,343.06 crore is the PMAY-G sanction, not a soil campaign budget. [1]