Amid the farmers’ protest, Shivraj Singh Chouhan makes extra efforts, connects with states.

As farmers’ protests continue regarding various demands, including a legal assurance for minimum support price (MSP), the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, headed by Shivraj Singh Chouhan, has made an additional effort to improve collaboration between the Centre and states.

Senior officials based at Krishi Bhawan have been assigned as nodal officers for particular states and Union Territories (UTs) to oversee different state matters, including ensuring the successful execution of central agricultural programs.

A directive to this effect was released “with the consent of the appropriate authority” on December 31, 2024. Sources reported that the Agriculture Ministry has already communicated in writing to all states and UTs regarding this matter. This initiative follows months of Chouhan’s direct discussions with state agriculture ministers and farmers, which began shortly after he took office in June of the previous year.

Sources indicate that roughly 18 senior officials, such as advisers, commissioners, joint secretaries, and additional secretaries, have been designated duties for one or two states each. They will oversee agricultural matters and guarantee the seamless implementation of programs in their designated areas.

According to the sources, Additional Secretary Dr. Pramod Kumar Meherda has been designated for Maharashtra and Haryana, whereas Additional Secretary Maninder Kaur Dwivedi will serve as the nodal officer for Gujarat and Odisha. Before his appointment as director general in the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Faiz Ahmed Kidwai served as the nodal officer for Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

At the joint secretary level, Priya Ranjan, who is a 1998-batch Indian Forest Service officer from the Rajasthan cadre, will supervise Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, while Muktanand Agrawal, a 2008-batch IAS officer from the Rajasthan cadre, serves as the nodal officer for Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Samuel P Kumar, as joint secretary, serves as the nodal officer for Assam; Ruchika Gupta, serving as adviser, for Telangana; C F Joseph, adviser, for Kerala; Perin Devi, joint secretary, for Andhra Pradesh; S Rukmani, joint secretary, for Mizoram and West Bengal; and Franklin L Khobung, joint secretary, for Manipur and Meghalaya.

The sources mentioned that in addition to monitoring the issues in their individual states, these nodal officers are also anticipated to join Chouhan during his state visits, guaranteeing smooth coordination and efficient policy execution, the sources stated. Chouhan’s action intends to actively connect with the states. Chouhan had previously begun conducting discussions with states. He has conducted multiple individual meetings with the agriculture ministers from states such as Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Uttarakhand, while farmers, predominantly from Punjab, have been demonstrating at the Haryana border since February of the previous year.