Rural Development

National Beekeeping and Honey Mission: Accelerating India’s Sweet Revolution

Context: India has doubled honey production from 76,000 MT to over 1.5 lakh MT in the last decade and has tripled honey exports, signalling the success of the government’s “Sweet Revolution”. Much of this growth is attributed to the National Beekeeping and Honey Mission (NBHM), a central initiative focused on scientific beekeeping, crop pollination, and value-added honey production.

About the National Beekeeping and Honey Mission (NBHM)

NBHM is a Central Sector Scheme under the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare.
The mission was launched under Atmanirbhar Bharat (FY 2020–21 to 2022–23) and later extended to FY 2025–26 to scale honey production and beekeeper incomes.

Objectives

  • Enhance honey and hive-product production
  • Improve agricultural productivity through scientific pollination
  • Increase incomes of beekeepers, farmers, and FPOs
  • Promote quality assurance and reduce adulteration

Implementing Agency

The mission is implemented by the National Bee Board (NBB).

Mission Structure (Three Mini-Missions)

1. Mini Mission–I: Production Enhancement

  • Promotes scientific beekeeping, modern hive boxes, and bee-friendly flora
  • Supports adoption of improved apiary equipment and quality queen bees

2. Mini Mission–II: Post-Harvest & Market Infrastructure

  • Establishes honey testing labs, processing units, storage facilities, and value-addition clusters
  • Builds organised market linkages for domestic and export markets

3. Mini Mission–III: Research & Innovation

  • Funds region-specific R&D to adapt bees to diverse agro-climatic conditions
  • Supports studies on pollination efficiency, disease management, and advanced beekeeping technologies

Key Initiatives under NBHM

1. Digital Monitoring: Madhukranti Portal

  • Provides honey traceability, registration of beekeepers, and supply-chain transparency
  • Reduces adulteration and builds consumer trust

2. Institutional Strengthening

  • Formation of beekeeper FPOs, SHGs, cooperatives
  • Special focus on women-led enterprises and skill building

3. Skills & Value Addition

  • Hands-on training, exposure visits, and technology dissemination
  • Promotion of high-value hive products such as royal jelly, propolis, and beeswax

4. Research Facility

  • Establishment of the National Centre of Excellence in Beekeeping (NCOE), IIT Roorkee
  • Supports advanced training, innovation, and industry-academia linkages

Other Government Initiatives Supporting Honey Production

1. KVIC’s Honey Mission

  • Provides bee boxes, toolkits, and training to rural youth
  • Enhances self-employment and ecological sustainability

2. Export Support

  • APEDA strengthens compliance through quality certification, laboratory testing, and a Minimum Export Price system

3. GI-Tag-Based Branding

  • GI tags for regional honeys—e.g., Ramban Sulai (J&K), Sundarban Mouban (West Bengal)—promote niche markets and export potential

Conclusion

The NBHM has emerged as a critical driver of India’s “Sweet Revolution,” enhancing honey production, improving farmer incomes, and expanding the export footprint.

With digital traceability, scientific research, and strong institutional support, India is poised to become a global hub for high-quality honey and pollination services.

Implementation gaps in Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin 

Context: Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development has accused the government of failing to identify “genuine beneficiaries” for its flagship rural housing scheme, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G).

Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Key facts about Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G). 

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G)

  • Launched on April 1, 2016, by restructuring the Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY).
  • Aim: Provide "Housing for All" in rural areas by March 2029.
  • Implemented by: Ministry of Rural Development
  • Financial assistance is provided for constructing pucca houses with basic amenities for the rural poor.
  • Key Objectives:
    • Provide permanent housing to eligible rural households.
    • Address housing deprivation identified through the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) 2011.
    • Ensure basic facilities such as electricity, sanitation, and clean drinking water.
    • Promote women empowerment by mandating joint ownership in house allotment.
  • Funding:
    • 60:40 ratio between the Centre and States: for Plains. 
    • 90:10 ratio for Northeast, Himalayan States, Jammu & Kashmir, and Ladakh.   
    • 100% centrally funded for Union Territories.
  • Financial Assistance to Beneficiaries:
    • ₹1.2 lakh per unit in plains.
    • ₹1.3 lakh per unit in hilly and difficult areas.
  • Beneficiary selection based on SECC 2011 data, verified through Gram Sabha. It Includes:
    • SCs/STs and freed bonded labourers.
    • Non-SC/ST BPL families.
    • Widows and next-of-kin of defence personnel killed in action.
    • Ex-servicemen, paramilitary forces, disabled persons, and minorities.
  • Progress and Targets:
    • Target (2016-2029): 4.95 crore houses.
    • As of February 2, 2025:
      • Target allotted: 3.79 crore houses.
      • Houses sanctioned: 3.34 crore.
      • Houses completed: 2.69 crore.
    • Additional 2 crore houses approved for construction during 2024-29.

Monitoring and Transparency Measures: 

  • AwaasSoft platform: Tracks progress through geo-tagged, time-stamped photographs.
  • Regular inspections: Conducted at block, district, and national levels.
  • Social audits: Annual audits at Gram Panchayat level.
  • Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT): Ensures funds go directly to beneficiary bank accounts.
  • Performance Index Dashboard: Monitors implementation and progress.
  • Grievance redressal mechanisms: Complaints can be lodged via CPGRAMS, IGRS, and CM helplines.

Challenges highlighted by Standing Committee on Rural Development: 

  • Outdated beneficiary data: PMAY-G still relies on SECC 2011, leading to exclusion of genuine beneficiaries and inclusion of ineligible categories.
  • Financial assistance has not increased despite rising construction costs.
  • Issue of backlogs: Scheme extension mainly covers previous backlog rather than new allocations.

Way Forward

Recommendations by Standing Committee on Rural Development

  • Update beneficiary data: Conduct a comprehensive review to include newly emerging needy households.
  • Expand eligibility: Include semi-permanent structure owners.
  • Increase per-unit assistance to ₹4 lakh, considering rising construction costs and inflation.
  • Addressing backlog and fresh allocations: Increase total houses planned under extended PMAY-G to 3.46 crore (1.46 crore backlog + 2 crore fresh allocations).

Multipurpose Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS)

Context: Recently Government of India approves a plan to establish two lacks new multipurpose Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) / dairy/fishery primary cooperative societies for covering all the remaining Panchayats/ villages in the country.

What are Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS)?

It is a cooperative credit institution at the village/lowest level.

YySz6iCbjUaoIcj27shpmQSiGSgWslVsrcv e1JHT S4PkC07vwqMjf
  • PACS is an association of borrowers and non-borrowers residing in a particular locality.
  • The funds of the society are derived from the share capital and deposits of members and loans from a central cooperative bank.
  • PACS is the foundation of the cooperative credit structure.
  • The first PACS was established in 1904.
  • PACS is the final link between the borrower at the village level on one hand and the higher agencies like the central cooperative bank, state cooperative bank and reserve bank of India.

Who regulates PACS?

  • PACS are registered under the Co-operative Societies Act which means they are regulated by the State government (specifically administrative aspects) and also regulated by the RBI. 
  • NABARD is a nodal refinancing agency for PACS including other cooperative banks.
  • They are governed by the “Banking regulation Act-1949” and Banking Laws (Co-operative societies) Act 1965.

Objectives of PACS

  • To raise the capital to meet the demands of its members
  • To collect the deposits from its members.
  • They also supply agricultural inputs and other services (in the form of money or in-kind) to their members.
  • They can also provide a storage facility to produce its members.

Who can form PACS?

  • Gorp of ten or more people in a village or from many villages can form PACS
  • Membership fees are there to be a member of PACS but it is very low so that the poorest man can join it.
  • Members of the PACS have unlimited liability, which means each member assumes full responsibility for the society’s entire loss in the event of failure.
  • Management of the PACS is overseen by the elected body

What are the Capital Sources of PACS?

PACS derives its working capital from 

  • Their own funds (share capital, membership fee, and reserve funds), 
  • Deposits, 
  • Borrowing and 
  • Other sources

Significance of PACS

  • PACS accounts for 41% of all KCC loans provided by all entities in the country.
  • PACS is the main source of credit for rural marginal farmers because 95% of beneficiaries of PACS are small and marginal farmers,

Participants of Multipurpose Primary Agricultural Credit Societies 

  • State Governments, 
  • the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), 
  • the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) 
  • the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) 

Approach and period of Multipurpose Primary Agricultural Credit Societies 

  • The scheme will be implemented through the convergence of various existing schemes of the Government of India and by leveraging the ‘whole-of-Government’ approach in the next five years.

Other initiatives 

The Government of India has approved setting up of three national-level Multi-State Cooperative Societies (MSCS) one each for Organic, Seeds and Exports registered under MSCS Act, 2002 i.e. 

  • National Co-operative Export Society, 
  • National Co-operative Society for Organic Products and 
  • National Level Multi-State Seed Co-operative Society

Purpose of national-level Multi-State Cooperative Societies (MSCS)

  • These cooperative societies are expected to support the fisheries in the areas of supply of seed and quality fish marketing with a focus on the integrated project for the development of Inland fisheries, fisherwomen cooperatives, branding & trade promotion and capacity building. 

The Integration of Cooperatives data with the Gati Shakti Portal

  • To utilise the infrastructure being developed by the Centre and State.