As farmers’ protests persist, driven by demands such as a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP), the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, under Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s leadership, has initiated new efforts to improve coordination between the Centre and the states.

In a significant move, senior officials at Krishi Bhawan have been appointed as nodal officers for specific states and Union Territories (UTs) to monitor state-specific agricultural issues and oversee the effective implementation of central agricultural schemes. The Ministry issued an official order in this regard on December 31, 2024, “with the approval of the competent authority,” and written communication has been sent to all states and UTs, according to sources.

This new initiative follows Chouhan’s ongoing efforts to engage directly with state agriculture ministers and farmers. Since taking office in June 2024, Chouhan has focused on fostering direct consultations to address state-level issues more effectively.

Around 18 senior officials, including advisers, commissioners, joint secretaries, and additional secretaries, have been tasked with overseeing agricultural matters in one or two states. Their role is to monitor and ensure the smooth execution of agricultural schemes and to address regional concerns.

Among the key appointments, Additional Secretary Dr. Pramod Kumar Meherda has been assigned Maharashtra and Haryana, while Additional Secretary Maninder Kaur Dwivedi will oversee Gujarat and Odisha. Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, who was previously assigned Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, is now set to take up a new role as Director General of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

At the joint secretary level, officials like Priya Ranjan, a 1998-batch Indian Forest Service officer from Rajasthan, will handle Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. Muktanand Agrawal, a 2008-batch IAS officer from Rajasthan, will be in charge of Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Other officials have been designated for states including Assam, Telangana, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Mizoram, West Bengal, Manipur, and Meghalaya.

The nodal officers will not only be responsible for monitoring agricultural issues in their designated states but will also accompany Chouhan during state visits to ensure effective policy coordination and implementation. This proactive approach aims to ensure smoother communication and engagement between the Centre and states.

Chouhan has been actively engaging with state agriculture ministers, holding one-on-one meetings with those from states such as Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Uttarakhand. These discussions have been part of his effort to address the ongoing protests, especially from farmers in Punjab who have been protesting at the Haryana border since February 2024.

In a related development, a meeting held on Monday between leaders of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) and two farmer bodies leading the protests failed to reach a consensus on organizing a joint agitation against the Centre. The groups have decided to meet again on January 18 to further discuss their strategy and resolve their differences.