Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo today directed the Agriculture Production Department (APD) to transform Kisan Khidmat Ghars (KKGs) into vibrant, multipurpose centres across villages in Jammu & Kashmir, terming them “instruments of change” for the farming community.
Chairing a high-level meeting to review the functioning of KKGs, the Chief Secretary described the initiative as a “phenomenal programme” conceptualised by leading national experts. He said the programme has immense potential to accelerate agricultural growth, enhance farmer awareness, and promote modern, scientific practices. He stressed that every farm family should have at least one member registered with a KKG to ensure effective outreach.
To enhance their utility, Dulloo called for integrating additional services into the centres, including their recognition as Common Service Centres (CSCs) to deliver government services online, custom hiring centres for farm machinery, and Direct Selling Agents (DSAs) for banks to boost financial access.
He also directed the MD of the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP) to compile a list of agriculture-related business ventures that Krishi Udhyamis (KUs) can operate from the KKGs. Deputy Commissioners were asked to circulate success stories from existing centres to encourage replication.
Reviewing progress under Phases I and II, Dulloo sought updates from DCs on operational readiness—especially in terms of IT infrastructure, sale licenses for seeds, fertilisers, and pesticides, and broadband connectivity.
APD Principal Secretary Shailendra Kumar instructed DCs to fix strict timelines for making new centres functional, as KUs had already been onboarded. He called for provisioning of IT equipment, Point of Sale (PoS) machines for fertiliser sales, and stepped-up public outreach to raise farmer registrations.
MD HADP, Sandeep Kumar, informed the meeting that under Phase I, 500 centres are already operational, supported by a dedicated mobile app. Nearly 5 lakh farmers have registered, and 1.25 lakh app downloads have been recorded—96% on Android. Rajouri district leads in registrations with over 84,000 users.
The KKG app now includes advanced features such as a decision-support system for cherry and apple crops, grievance management, push notifications, and a gamification-based registration system, where 23% of farmers have reached Level 2.
Under Phase II, 297 new centres are ready in Jammu Division and 287 in Kashmir Division, substantially expanding the programme’s reach.
Concluding the meeting, the Chief Secretary emphasised that the KKG initiative reflects strong collaboration between the administration and farming community, aiming to strengthen the agricultural ecosystem with technology-driven, farmer-centric solutions. Through integrated services, knowledge sharing, and enterprise development, KKGs are set to play a transformative role in rural livelihoods across J&K.