Vaidyanathan committee report

Agriculture plays a very pivotal role in the Indian economy providing employment to half of the population and contributing one-fifth to the GDP. The volatility in this sector has been one of the prime concern of the policy makers. To arrest this volatility and raise the livelihood security of the nation various commissions had been set up in the past. For instance, National Commission On Farmers. Recently the government has set up an expert committee under eminent economist Prof. A Vaidyanathan to look into the issues of raising crop yield through better estimation. The recommendations of the committee are given below.

Vaidyanathan Committee Recommends Remote Sensing, National Centre for Improving Agricultural StatisticsThe expert committee set up under the chairmanship of Prof A Vaidyanathan to suggest ways to improve agricultural statistics has called for using remote sensing and restructuring the data collection machinery. In its interim report, the Expert Committee has also recommended setting up  of National Crop Statistics Centre (NCSC) to deal with all aspects of crop area and yield estimation.

Details about the Expert Committee and its recommendations are as follows:In pursuance of recommendations of Steering Committee on Agriculture & Allied Sector for formulation of 11th Five Year Plan set up by Planning Commission for thorough review of Schemes for collection of Agricultural Statistics for bringing about lasting improvements in basic system of agricultural statistics and as per decisions taken in the meeting with National Statistical Commission (NSC), the Government constituted a Committee of Experts to
(a) look into the problems relating to the methodology and procedures followed for the collection/ estimation of data on land use, cropping and yields and suggest measures for improvement and
(b) assess the potential of remote sensing techniques to collect these data and to indicate how to utilize this potential and
(c) suggest institutional framework for improvement of agricultural statistics.

The Committee submitted its interim report to the Department in July, 2010 on the deficiencies in the existing system alongwith recommendations to ensure reliable, unbiased and timely estimates of area and yield for crops at the National and State level.

The Report has brought out that the deficiencies in the current system of both area and yield estimation arises from serious lacuna in institutional arrangements to collect, supervise and validate basic data on large scale on diverse crops. The Committee recommended the need for reducing the sample size by improving the design and bringing organizational changes to ensure tighter management and maintenance of high professional standards. The Report has recommended a two-pronged strategy (a) expanding the use of remote sensing as an independent source of land use, crop area and, to the extent possible, yield estimates, (b) restructuring the scope, organization and management of existing system of collecting primary data.

The Committee has recommended the creation of (a) National Crop Statistics Centre (NCSC) as an autonomous professionally run organization fully funded by the Centre to design, organise and supervise the generation of crop area and yield estimates at the State and National level. Fieldwork would be done by the trained staff in the state bureaus appointed and dedicated exclusively to carry out the programme decided by NCSC and their cost being borne entirely out of the Central Budget.