Ministry of Agriculture

New Agriculture Minister of India will be Announced on 30th May 2019

Radha Mohan Singh is the Current Agriculture Minister of India

Close to 60 percent of India's population finds agriculture as the means and source of earning their livelihood, directly or indirectly. In fact, along with the agrarian society, all the non-agrarian sections of the population are also heavily dependent on agriculture, for obvious reasons. Therefore, the role of the regulatory body, that is, the Ministry of Agriculture becomes very challenging and demanding owing to the vastness of its jurisdiction.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India is the supreme body that works towards the formulation and administration of the rules, regulations and laws related to agriculture in India. The major sections that the ministry looks after are agriculture, food-processing and co-operation.

Presently, the ministry is presided over by Union Minister of Agriculture Radha Mohan Singh.

Role of the Speaker

Since the Indian system of government follows the Westminster Model, the Parliamentary proceedings of the country are headed by a presiding officer who is called a Speaker. In other words, the Speaker of the two houses of the Parliament is responsible for ensuring the smooth functioning of the House. The Lok Sabha or the Lower House of the People in India, which is the highest legislative body in the country, chooses its Speaker who presides over the day-to-day functioning of the House. In the Rajya Sabha, the role of the Speaker is carried out by the Vice President of the country. His role is similar to that of the Lok Sabha Speaker, although the nomenclature is varied. Thus, the Speaker plays the crucial role of ensuring that the Parliament carries forward its role of legislation peacefully, maintaining harmony in the Houses of Parliament and taking crucial procedural decisions of the House. The Speaker is thus, in every sense, considered the true guardian of the Indian Parliamentary democracy, holding the complete authority of the Lok Sabha.

About Agriculture Minister

Radha Mohan Singh is the Union Minister of Agriculture in the Narendra Modi government. He is an experienced political leader, who has been a member of 11th, 13th, 15th and also of the currently functional 16th Lok Sabha where he represents the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Radha Mohan Singh was born on 1 September 1949. A Rajput by descent, Radha Mohan Singh comes from Champaran, Bihar and represents the Purvi Champaran Parliamentary constituency of the state. He completed his education from the M.S. College of Bihar University. He is married to Shanti Devi and has a son and a daughter with her.

The former president of BJP's Bihar state unit, Radha Mohan Singh was inducted into the Narendra Modi government as the Minister of Agriculture on 26 May 2014.

Departmental Structure of the Agriculture Ministry

The Ministry of Agriculture comprises three key departments.

The Department of Agriculture and Co-operation

The department, under the Government of India (Allocation & Business) rules 1961, primarily looks after the promotion of the farmer co-operation movements.

The Department of Agriculture Research & Education

This department manages the 'Indian Council of Agricultural Research', but its primary responsibility is to look after the technological development, basic & operational research and ensuring good relations between various organisations and state governments.

The Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries

Ensuring the growth in productivity of livestock (domestic animals raised in agricultural set up) and aqua farming (farming involving freshwater and saltwater species).

Functional Structure of Agricultural Ministry

The Secretary of Agriculture & Cooperation is the administrative chief of the department and is designated for formulation and implementation of policies of Agriculture and Cooperation. The Secretary is assisted by Principal Adviser, Special Secretaries, Additional Secretaries, Agriculture Commissioner, Economic and Statistical Adviser, Joint Secretaries and Horticulture Commissioner.

Chief Office Bearers

Minister of Agriculture - Radha Mohan Singh.
Minister of State - Parshottam Rupala
Minister of State - Krishna Raj
Minister of State - Gajendra Singh Shekhawat
Other Staff - According to the official website of the Ministry of Agriculture, the ministry supervises five attached offices, 22 subordinate offices, two public sector undertakings, nine autonomous bodies, 10 national level cooperative organisations and one Authority.

Programmes Underway
As one of his prime initiatives, Minister of Agriculture Radha Mohan Singh has listed cow protection and better breeding of Indian cows, hence giving boost to the productivity of dairies. Ambitious schemes to provide irrigation and insurance to farmers are also amongst his priorities.

Sharad Pawar was the last minister to hold the position before Radha Mohan Singh. Some of the other leaders who have held the position are Jagjivan Ram, Chaudhary Devi Lal, Nitish Kumar, Ajit Singh and Rajnath Singh.