PM's new dictum to Sharad Pawar

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has directed Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar to bring out a report on the state of Indian agriculture, to be presented to Parliament every year before the Union Budget.

A statement said that it has been decided by the Prime Minister's Office that every year, before the presentation of the Union Budget, the agriculture ministry will bring out a report on the state of Indian agriculture. This will be in addition to the annual Economic Survey which contains a chapter on agriculture and the annual reports of the departments concerned.

The PMO said that analytical inputs and write-ups on issues, concerning the department of agriculture, that have a bearing on agricultural performance are also to be mentioned in the report.

The emphasis should be on analysis of policy issues, evaluation of schemes and programmes and their impact on the nation's agriculture sector.

The challenges should be identified and the strategy to scale up the development process for different agri-inputs should be indicated in the report.