Sarkari Yojana
Improved Cultivation and Advanced Retting Exercise (I-CARE)
About Improved Cultivation and Advanced Retting Exercise (I-CARE)
The National Jute Board, Ministry of Textiles, runs “Improved Cultivation And Advanced Retting Exercise (I-CARE)” to help small and marginal jute growers with proper pre- and post-harvest practices, so they can grow better-quality jute and earn higher prices. It supplies 100% certified high-yielding seeds at a 50% subsidy, demonstrates scientific jute cultivation with mechanical tools, freely distributes a microbial consortium for advanced retting, builds retting ponds, and gives a one-time ₹5,000/- maintenance grant. Applicants must be registered small/marginal jute growers willing to consent to land use for retting ponds and adopt scientific farming methods. The National Jute Board runs the scheme with the Jute Corporation of India and the Central Research Institute for Jute and Allied Fibres, with applications accepted through local agencies, cooperatives, and farmers’ clubs at the block level.
Scheme Overview
Central Government
Ministry Of Textiles
Individual
Scheme Details
Eligibility Requirements
To qualify for Improved Cultivation and Advanced Retting Exercise (I-CARE), applicants must satisfy the following conditions:
The applicant must be a small or marginal…
The applicant must be a small or marginal jute grower.
The applicant must be registered under the scheme…
The applicant must be registered under the scheme by the Jute Corporation of India, in association with farmers' societies, cooperative bodies, Primary Agricultural Credit Societies, Krishi Vigyan Kendras, or NABARD-linked farmers' clubs.
The applicant must formally consent to their land…
The applicant must formally consent to their land being used by the State Government Department for building the retting pond.
The applicant must be willing to shift from…
The applicant must be willing to shift from traditional stem retting to scientific cultivation and microbial retting methods.
Benefits Provided
Improved Cultivation and Advanced Retting Exercise (I-CARE) provides the following benefits to eligible applicants:
100% certified high-yielding jute seeds at a 50%…
100% certified high-yielding jute seeds at a 50% subsidy, supplied by the National Seed Corporation and the Central Research Institute for Jute and Allied Fibres, for better crop quality and yield.
Demonstration of scientific jute cultivation and free use…
Demonstration of scientific jute cultivation and free use of mechanical tools — multi-row seed drills, nail weeders, and single-wheel jute weeders — cutting manual weeding costs by roughly 35%.
Free distribution of a microbial consortium that improves…
Free distribution of a microbial consortium that improves fibre quality by at least one grade, raises fibre productivity by 10%, and cuts retting time from 18 to 12 days.
Construction of small retting ponds on farmers' fields…
Construction of small retting ponds on farmers' fields via MGNREGA, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana, and Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana.
A one-time ₹5,000/- assistance per pond for maintenance
A one-time ₹5,000/- assistance per pond for maintenance. Disbursal Conditions for Financial Assistance
The ₹5,000/- maintenance amount is transferred via DBT…
The ₹5,000/- maintenance amount is transferred via DBT to the farmer's bank account once the pond is complete and field officials submit a confirmation report with photos and GPS coordinates.
Extensive farmer training and awareness sessions on using…
Extensive farmer training and awareness sessions on using seed drills, single-wheel jute weeders, and microbial retting.
SMS advisories and voice messages covering land preparation,…
SMS advisories and voice messages covering land preparation, sowing, de-weeding, plant protection, and retting. Conditions for Availment
Farmers must use the supplied inputs — certified…
Farmers must use the supplied inputs — certified seeds and the microbial consortium — strictly for jute cultivation and retting, and properly maintain the in-situ retting ponds built on their fields.
Documents Required
Applicants should keep the following documents ready before starting the application:
Application Stage
Farmers Registration Form (kept as a hard-copy record…
Farmers Registration Form (kept as a hard-copy record by the Jute Corporation of India).
Land Consent Form (needed for building the retting…
Land Consent Form (needed for building the retting pond). Benefit Disbursal Stage
Bank account details (needed for the ₹5,000/- DBT…
Bank account details (needed for the ₹5,000/- DBT maintenance payment). Field Verification Stage
Photographic evidence of the retting pond (from field…
Photographic evidence of the retting pond (from field officials).
GPS coordinates of the retting pond (from field…
GPS coordinates of the retting pond (from field officials).
Confirmation report from field officials (verifying the pond's…
Confirmation report from field officials (verifying the pond's completion).
How to Apply
Offline Application
Applicants can apply for Improved Cultivation and Advanced Retting Exercise (I-CARE) through the offline application process outlined below.
Registration Process
Contacting Local Agencies The applicant approaches local farmers'…
Contacting Local Agencies The applicant approaches local farmers' societies, cooperative bodies, Primary Agricultural Credit Societies, Krishi Vigyan Kendras, or farmers' clubs to begin offline registration — these local bodies are the scheme's primary village-level touchpoints.
Submitting Registration Details The applicant fills out the…
Submitting Registration Details The applicant fills out the registration and feedback forms the Jute Corporation of India provides through the local agency, which record the farmer's details and register them under the scheme. Application Process
Providing Land Consent For Retting Ponds Applicants wanting…
Providing Land Consent For Retting Ponds Applicants wanting an in-situ retting pond built must formally consent to their land's use; Jute Corporation field supervisors collect this consent and forward it to the State Government Department for construction.
Providing Bank Details For Maintenance Fund The applicant…
Providing Bank Details For Maintenance Fund The applicant gives valid bank account details to Jute Corporation field officials and regional managers, enabling the smooth DBT transfer of the one-time ₹5,000/- maintenance amount. Post-Application Processes
Undertaking Training And Receiving Inputs The registered applicant…
Undertaking Training And Receiving Inputs The registered applicant attends training sessions run by the Central Research Institute for Jute and Allied Fibres on using seed drills, weeders, and microbial consortiums, after which they receive the subsidized seeds, free machinery, and microbial retting supplies through local agencies.
Completion And Verification Of Retting Pond The applicant…
Completion And Verification Of Retting Pond The applicant cooperates with field officials who visit the completed pond to capture photos and GPS coordinates; once this confirmation report is submitted, the ₹5,000/- assistance is credited directly to the applicant's bank account.
Official Sources & References
- Guidelines