Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana – RAFTAAR (Now: Cafeteria Scheme)

🔷 “A dynamic, demand-driven funding platform for States to rejuvenate agriculture through flexibility, innovation, and infrastructure.”

Quick Overview

Attribute	Details
Type	Centrally Sponsored Scheme
Launched in	2007 (Rechristened as RKVY-RAFTAAR in 2017; Cafeteria Scheme in 2022)
Coverage	All States and UTs
Fund Sharing	60:40 (States), 90:10 (NE/Himalayan), 100% Grant for UTs

Core Objectives

1. Strengthen Farmers’ Infrastructure – both pre-harvest and post-harvest.
2. Provide autonomy and flexibility to States for agro-climatic and need-specific interventions.
3. Promote value chain-based production models that improve farmers’ income.
4. Enable risk mitigation by diversifying income opportunities.
5. Focus on national priorities through merging key schemes.
6. Foster Agri-startups & entrepreneurship, especially among youth.

Salient Features

1. Evolution of the Scheme

• 2007: Launched as an umbrella scheme.
• 2017: Rebranded as RKVY-RAFTAAR (Remunerative Approaches for Agriculture and Allied Sector Rejuvenation).
• 2022-23 onwards: Restructured into RKVY Cafeteria Scheme by merging various schemes for streamlining & decentralization.

2. State Autonomy and Sanctioning Mechanism

• State Level Sanctioning Committee (SLSC) chaired by Chief Secretary.
• States choose interventions per their needs with no deviation allowed from guidelines.
• Equity focus: Resource allocation for SC/ST/Women must be monitored and documented.

Innovation and Agri-Entrepreneurship Program

Stage	Support Provided
Pre-seed / Idea Stage	₹5 lakh
Seed Stage	₹25 lakh as grant-in-aid

These are supported through:

• 5 Knowledge Partners (KPs): Such as MANAGE, NIAM, IARI, UAS Dharwad, and AAU Jorhat.
• 24 RKVY-RAFTAAR Agribusiness Incubators (RABIs): Provide mentoring, training, incubation.

Key Schemes Merged Under Cafeteria

1. Soil Health & Fertility

• Emphasis on Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) using chemical + organic + bio-fertilizers.

2. Rainfed Area Development (RAD)

• Promotes Integrated Farming Systems (IFS) – intercropping, mixed cropping, rotational systems.

3. Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) – Organic Farming

• ₹50,000/ha (3 years); ₹31,000 via DBT.
• PGS (Participatory Guarantee System) certification managed by NCONF.
• Expanded via Bhartiya Prakritik Krishi Paddhati (BPKP) under National Mission on Natural Farming.

4. Per Drop More Crop (PDMC)

• Focus: Drip & Sprinkler Irrigation for Water Use Efficiency.
• Subsidy Structure:

Farmer Category	Subsidy (% of Unit Cost)
Small & Marginal	55%
Other Farmers	45%
NE & Hilly States	+25%
Low Adoption States	+15%

5. Agroforestry (Recast of SMAF)

• Tenure: 2021–26
• Special focus: Certified Quality Planting Material (QPM)
• ICAR-CAFRI: Nodal agency for technical support, nurseries, training.

6. Agricultural Mechanization

• Promotion of farm equipment and Crop Residue Management (CRM).

7. Crop Diversification Programme

• Shift away from water-intensive crops (like paddy) to pulses, oilseeds, millets, cotton.

8. RKVY DPR Component & Accelerator Fund

• Funding for Detailed Project Reports and scaling up of promising agri-startups.

5 Key Knowledge Partners (KPs) under RKVY

Institution	Area of Specialization
MANAGE (Hyderabad)	Extension & Capacity Building
NIAM (Jaipur)	Agricultural Marketing
IARI (Delhi)	Research & Crop Science
UAS (Dharwad)	Regional Agro-Development
AAU (Jorhat)	Northeast Agriculture Advancement

UPSC Analysis & Relevance

The RKVY-Cafeteria Scheme represents a strategic shift in Indian agricultural policy — from input-intensive subsidy support to a flexible, state-driven, innovation-oriented investment model. It bridges critical gaps in infrastructure, water use, organic farming, and startup promotion.

📌 Useful in:

• GS Paper 3: Agriculture, Infrastructure, Startups
• GS Paper 2: Centre-State relations, Welfare Initiatives
• Essay & Ethics: Decentralized Governance, Sustainable Development