Cabinet Secretariat flags delay in pulse research scheme, Agriculture Ministry says ‘expediting’ it

The first year of the six-year Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses (2025-26 to 2030-31) is already over and no research project has yet been approved against the allocation of Rs 500 crore. The Agriculture Ministry, on Sunday, vowed to expedite the process.

Flagging the delay, the Cabinet Secretariat had asked the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare to complete the approval processes for research projects by November 15. On Sunday, the ministry said that it is “expediting the process, and eligible projects recommended by the Committee are expected to be sanctioned by the end of October 2026, ahead of the November 15 timeline referred.”

At a meeting on October 5 chaired by Cabinet Secretary Dr T V Somanathan, while reviewing the reorientation of agricultural research in oilseeds, pulses and cotton, officials had raised the issue.

The meeting, which took place at Seva Teerth, was attended by senior officials including Agriculture Secretary Atish Chandra, Environment Secretary Narendra Bhooshan and the Secretary, Department of Agriculture Research and Education, Mangi Lal Jat.

It is learnt that during the meeting, Cabinet Secretariat officials pointed out that project proposals under the research component of the National Pulses Mission were yet to be sanctioned by the Agriculture Ministry’s Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare. The Cabinet Secretariat is said to have asked the Agriculture Ministry to complete the processes to issue approvals for projects against the Rs 500 crore allocated under the National Mission on Pulses by November 15 this year.

Explained

Pulse production needed a boost

India is the largest producer and consumer of pulses in the world. However, the country’s production is not sufficient to meet its annual demand. Against this backdrop, the government launched the Pulses Mission last year. While other components of the mission have taken off, research projects are yet to hit the ground.

Responding to queries from The Indian Express, the Agriculture Ministry said, “Following the identification of priority areas, proposals were invited from research institutions and other eligible organisations across the country. A total of 419 proposals have been received and taken up for screening and technical appraisal. Out of proposals received, 125 (are) from ICAR institutes; 249 from state agricultural universities; 14 from other government universities, institutions and public sector undertakings… and five from private universities.”

“A screening committee examined the proposals against priority research needs and the Mission’s objectives, and shortlisted projects for presentation. Researchers are presenting their proposals before the National-level Research and Development Committee, comprising the Additional Secretary, senior ICAR officials and scientists, mission officers and subject experts. The appraisal examines scientific merit, relevance, potential for field application, expected benefits to farmers and duplication with existing research. Many proposals have already been shortlisted for approval through the previous three meetings,” the ministry said.

Story continues below this ad

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the mission on October 11, 2025 after it got approval from the Union Cabinet on October 1, 2025. The mission was announced by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her Budget speech on February 1 last year. As outlined in the Finance Minister’s Budget speech, the mission emphasises five points: Development and commercial availability of climate-resilient seeds, enhancing protein content, increasing productivity, improving post-harvest storage and management and assuring remunerative prices to the farmers.

The Mission is to be implemented over a six-year period, from 2025-26 to 2030-31, with a financial outlay of Rs 11,440 crore, which includes Rs 500 crore for research projects. The mission is significant as it aims at increasing the total production of pulses in the country by 45%, from 242 lakh metric tonnes in 2023-24 to 350 lakh metric tonnes in 2030-31. In the same period, it also aims at increasing the cultivation area under pulses by 13%, from 275 lakh hectares to 310 lakh hectares, and improving the average yield by 28% – from 881 kg/hectare to 1,130 kg/hectare.

“As the mission completes its first year, progress is also evident in pulses area, production and productivity. According to the Third Advance Estimates for 2025–26, pulses area increased from 277.2 lakh hectares in 2024–25 to 286.5 lakh hectares – an increase of 3.3%. Production rose from 256.8 lakh tonnes to 274.1 lakh tonnes – an increase of 6.7%; productivity improved from 926 kg per hectare to 957 kg per hectare, an increase of 3.3%,” the ministry said.