NE RURAL DEVELOPMENT BUREAU
HYDERABAD, JUNE 24
In a decisive push to fuse science with village livelihoods, Telangana on Tuesday got two RuTAGe Smart Village Centres (RSVCs) — one at Beerpur PACS in Jagtial district and the other at Nandanam FSCS in Hanumakonda district — marking a major step towards technology-led rural transformation through cooperative institutions.
- NABARD and the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser launch technology hubs in Jagtial and Hanumakonda to bring science closer to village economies
- Beerpur and Nandanam centres to serve 20 villages, support over 18,000 hectares of farmland and benefit nearly 5,000 farmers and cooperative members
- Facilities equipped with agri drones, smart irrigation devices, soil testing systems and processing units to boost productivity and value addition
- Initiative aims to transform PACS into grassroots innovation nodes and create rural jobs in drone operations, machinery handling and service delivery
Supported by NABARD in collaboration with the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, the centres were inaugurated during a virtual event organised by NABARD, in a move aimed at taking affordable, practical and need-based technologies directly to farmers, rural entrepreneurs and cooperative members.
The initiative seeks to convert primary cooperative societies into local technology hubs that can deliver solutions in agriculture, value addition and rural enterprise, while strengthening the last-mile connection between innovation and the field.
The event brought together a wide spectrum of stakeholders from across the country. Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, attended as the chief guest. Also present were K Surendra Mohan, IAS, APC and Secretary (Agriculture and Cooperation), Government of Telangana; Shaji K V, Chairman, NABARD; A K Sood, DMD, NABARD; G S Rawat, DMD, NABARD; B Uday Bhaskar, CGM, NABARD Telangana Regional Office; the CGM of NABARD’s Rural MSME Department; representatives of the Telangana government and district administration; DCOs; CEOs of Warangal and Karimnagar DCCBs; officials of line departments; members and directors of PACS; farmers; and rural entrepreneurs.
Inaugurating the event virtually, Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood emphasized the importance of strengthening last-mile technology adoption and highlighted the vital role of PACS in bridging the gap between research and its practical application.
NABARD Chairman Shri Shaji K.V emphasized that such centres can drive sustainable rural livelihoods.
The Beerpur RSVC has been equipped with a range of technologies including agri drones, a soil testing device, a smart irrigation system, poha and puffed rice processing units, a happy seeder and solar sky tubes. The Nandanam RSVC similarly houses agri drones, cold press oil extraction machinery, a smart irrigation device, a puffed rice machine, a soil testing device and a subjee cooler.
Together, the two centres are expected to serve 20 villages, cover more than 18,000 hectares of cultivated land and benefit nearly 5,000 farmers and cooperative members. Beyond farming support, the initiative is also expected to create livelihood opportunities for rural youth through activities such as drone operations, machinery handling, processing and service delivery.
Farmers and cooperative leaders who participated in the event welcomed the initiative and voiced optimism over its practical impact on productivity, value addition and income generation in rural Telangana.
