First Agriculture Minister of India- Dr. Rajendra Prasad

Dr. Rajendra Prasad was the first Agriculture Minister of India. He became the agriculture minister on 15th August 1947. And he served till 14th January 1948. Dr.Rajendra Prasad had a major role in the Independence Movement. Prasad's first association with Indian National Congress was during the 1906 annual session organized in Calcutta, where he participated as a volunteer while studying in Calcutta. The article is about the first agriculture minister of India; his achievements and works to promote agriculture in India.

About Dr. Rajendra Prasad

Most people know who the first President of the Republic of India was, Dr.Rajendra Prasad, and his term was from 1950 to 1962. Rajendra Prasad was elected by the Constituent Assembly in 1946 to be appointed as the first President of India. He assumed his role in office in the year 1950. Subsequently, he was also elected later by the Electoral College in the year 1951. However, in 1957, Rajendra Prasad was re-elected as the head of the state of our country. Therefore, he became the only Indian President who has ever served two terms.

Before this story related to the President of our country, Dr. Rajendra Prasad was elected as the Food and Agriculture Minister in the Interim Government of India, which was headed then by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1946. Most people do not know this fact about him, as he was the first Agriculture Minister of India. The cabinet of India on the 31st of January 1950, along with the appointed President of India Rajendra Prashad.

List of Agriculture Ministers of India

The Ministry of Agriculture comprises three key departments. It includes the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, the Department of Agriculture Research & Education, and the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying, and Fisheries.

The following table below gives a list of all of the Agriculture Ministers of India.

Agriculture Minister Name	Agriculture Minister Date From	Agriculture Minister Date To
Dr.Rajendra Prasad	02-09-1946	14-01-1948
Jairamdas Daulatram	19-01-1948	13-05-1950
K.M. Munshi	13-05-1950	13-05-1952
Rafi Ahmed Kidwai	13-05-1952	24-10-1954
Ajit Prasad Jain	25-11-1954	24-08-1959
S.K. Patil	24-08-1959	01-09-1963
Sardar Swaran Singh	01-09-1963	09-06-1964
C.Subramaniam	09-06-1964	12-03-1967
Jagjivan Ram	13-03-1967	27-06-1970
Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed	27-06-1970	03-07-1974
Jagjivan Ram	10-10-1974	02-02-1977
Prakash Singh Badal	28-03-1977	17-06-1977
Surjit Singh Barnala	18-06-1977	28-07-1979
Braham Prakash	30-07-1979	14-01-1980
Rao Birendra Singh	14-01-1980	31-10-1984
Buta Singh	31-12-1984	12-05-1986
G.S.Dhillon	12-05-1986	13-02-1988
Bhajan Lal	14-02-1988	02-12-1989
CH.Devi Lal	06-12-1989	02-08-1990
Dr.Balram Jakhar	21-06-1991	17-01-1996
Dr. Jagannath Mishra	08-02-1996	16-05-1996
Suraj Bhan	16-05-1996	01-06-1996
Chatura Nan Mishra	28-06-1996	18-03-1998
Atal Bihari Vajpayee	19-11-1998	22-11-1999
Nitish Kumar	22-11-1999	03-03-2000
Sundar Lal Patwa	06-03-2000	26-05-2000
Nitish Kumar	27-05-2000	22-07-2001
Ajit Singh	22-07-2001	23-05-2003
Rajnath Singh	24-05-2003	21-05-2004
Sharad Pawar	22-05-2004	26-05-2014
Radha Mohan Singh	27-05-2014	28-12-2017

Works and Achievements of Dr. Rajendra Prasad

Rajendra Prasad was always ready to help people who were in trouble or distress. For example, he volunteered for his services for the relief work during the great flood, which was a tragedy that affected Bengal and Bihar in 1914.

Here are some of the notable works and achievements of Rajendra Prasad while he served our great nation.

• He played an important role in his association with the Indian National Congress.
• He was pivotal in the Indian Freedom Movement.
• He had unique ideas of political ideology like liberalism and right-winged.
• These are his publications, and they are Atmakatha (1946), Satyagraha at Champaran (1922), India Divided (1946), Mahatma Gandhi & Bihar, some Reminiscences (1949), and Bapu Ke Kadmon Mein (1954).
• He was re-elected for two consecutive terms in 1952 and 1957.
• He was awarded the "Bharat Ratna," the nation's highest civilian award, in 1962.

Improvement of Agricultural Techniques

Rajendra Prasad was responsible for the concept of Seed Production Policies and Marketing System in Vegetables. Basically, this means to get good quality seeds of HYV (high yield variety). Simultaneously there should be increased fertilizer use which results in the expansion of irrigation facilities, extension efforts, improved farm practices, and also the ingenuity & industry of Indian farmers.

Because of these ideologies and improvements in agricultural techniques, the country has advanced from food scarcity. But, most importantly, all of its imports to food security have been better and exportable. This has benefitted the country's economy in a big way, and it is also continuing to do so.

Sustaining growth in agriculture also means continuous development of new and improved varieties of crops, and this was one of the key principles that he made sure was followed. An efficient system of production and supply of quality seeds to farmers was always supplied.

Agricultural Colleges Established by Dr. Rajendra Prasad

One famous college was set up with Rajendra Prasad's name; it was founded in the year 1970, and it is known as Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University. It is a non-profit public higher education institution located in the rural setting of the large town called Samastipur, with a population range of about 50,000 to 250,000 inhabitants in Bihar. It is officially accredited and recognized by the University Grants Commission of India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, abbreviated as RPCAU, a small type of uni rank with an enrollment range of about 2,000 to 2,999 students approximately.

It is well known for its coeducational higher education institution and the Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University. RPCAU offers many courses and programs leading to officially recognized higher education degrees, such as popular bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and doctorate degrees in several areas of study. This institute is around 50 years old for higher-education institutions as it has a selective admission policy based on entrance examinations. The admission rate that is followed here ranges from 90 to 100%, making this Indian higher education organization the least selective institution. International students are also welcome here to apply for enrollment.