ESTABLISHMENT OF AGRI-CLINICS AND AGRI-BUSINESS CENTERS BY AGRICULTURE GRADUATES

            Every year about 11900 agriculture graduates pass out of agricultural universities of which only about 2000 get employed in public and private sectors.  The remaining 9900 agriculture graduates add to the pool of under employed/unemployed agriculture graduates.

            The Scheme of Agri-Clinic and Agri-Business Centres was launched on 9^th April, 2002 as a follow-up of Finance Minister’s budget speech for 2001.  The objective of the scheme is to provide fee-based extension and other services to the farming community and also to create self-employment opportunities for agriculture graduates.

            The agriculture graduates are provided training in agri-business development for two months in over 67 institutions in public/private sector located throughout the country and coordinated by MANAGE.  These institutions also provide handholding support to the trained graduates for a period of one year.  The entire cost of training and handholding is being borne by the Government of India.  Trained graduates are expected to set up Agri-Clinic and Agri-Business Centres with the help of bank finance.  The scheme is being implemented with the help of Small Farmers Agri-Business Consortium (SFAC), National Institute of Agriculture Extension Management (MANAGE) and National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).

Guidelines for screening the candidates

            It was felt, based on initial experience of implementation of the scheme, that there was a need to screen candidates before admitting them into training.  Accordingly, the guidelines to be followed for screening for candidates are given below.  These guidelines will be followed during the current financial year on a pilot basis and may be reviewed next year :-

(a)    The training is open for graduates in agriculture and any subject allied to agriculture like horticulture, sericulture, veterinary sciences, forestry, dairy, poultry farming, fisheries, etc.  MANAGE will publish advertisement for inviting applications for training in leading newspapers of national and regional importance.  Apart from newspaper advertisement nodal institutions identified by MANAGE and banks will also assist in selection of candidates for training by way of visits to State Agriculture Universities, seeking information from Employment Exchange, issue of press releases, organization of seminars, etc. for publicizing the advertisement for inviting applications for training under the scheme.

(b)   The application format shall be available with the advertisement.  It may also be downloaded from the website specified in the advertisement.  The application for the training shall be made in prescribed proforma along with an application fee of Rs.500/-, which is non-refundable. 

(c)    The application shall be categorized state wise / district wise to ensure that the selected candidates are allocated seats in the nearest nodal training Institutions.

(d)   All the applications shall be submitted to MANAGE, who in turn will send at least double the number of candidates covering different districts to each nodal training institution.  The nodal institution will screen the applicants before admitting them into training.

(e)    The screening of candidates will be done by a Screening Committee consisting of the following :-

(i)     Nodal Officer of the Training Institution Chairman

(ii)    Representative of NABARD Member

(iii)  Representative of State Level Bankers’ Committee/

District Lead Bank Officer Member

(iv)  Representative of State Director of Agriculture Member

(f)     Representative of other banks as well as private agri-business companies may also be invited for the Screening Committee meetings which will be held at district/regional level.  Efforts shall be made to involve the parents of the candidates also in the Screening Committee meetings.

(g)    In order to elicit the vision of the candidates and their suitability for the training, they will be screened on the basis of following particulars :-

      Possession of the prescribed qualification

¨      Other professional qualifications

¨      Their motivation and commitment to go for agri-clinic and agri-business ventures

¨      Details of the ventures the candidates intend to take up after completion of the training

(h)    The selected candidates shall be required to deposit a caution money of Rs.1,000/- to the Nodal Training Institution allocated, which shall be refunded on successful completion of the training.