POST GRADUATE CERTIFICATE IN AGRICULTURE POLICY

The National Agricultural Policy announced by the Government of India in 2000 has been formulated based on the past experiences and challenges posed by the socio-economic scenario at the national and international levels. Globalization of agricultural trade, technology transfer, information exchange and capital flows will have profound implication for growth of Indian agriculture. This policy covers a vast array of issues critical to the rejuvenation of Indian agriculture. It has a nine-fold package of initiatives to achieve 4 per cent growth rate based on conservation and efficient use of resources. The Post Graduate Programme in Agriculture Policy seeks to develop human resource for planning, development and implementation of national policies in agriculture. The objectives and salient features of the agriculture policy framework along with strategies and issues should be known to all the stakeholders of the system for an effective implementation of development programme. The Programme covers various aspects essential for the policy formulation in order to achieve overall economic development of the country. Some of the main aspects pertain to stages and factors in Indian agricultural development process, components of policy formulation, international and national trade policies, intellectual property rights, research and development policy, etc.  

Objectives
The specific objectives of the programme are:

• Create understanding of the salient features of the agriculture policy framework among policy makers, implementers and other stakeholders of the system for its effective implementation.
• Develop human resource for:
  - Identification of strategic issues with reference to national policies in agriculture;
  - Analysis of policy aspects and its operationalization; and
  - Development of an implementation framework for agriculture and rural development policies

Programme Structure

It shall be six months duration PG Certificate programme of 16 credits and consist of following four theory courses (two compulsory and two elective). In order to be eligible for the award of the PG certificate, a student has to complete the following 4 Courses equivalent to 16 credits (1 credit is equal to 30 study hours).

Sl. No.	Course Code	Title of the Course	Type of course	Credits
1.	MNR -001	Indian Agricultural Development	Compulsory	4 Credits
2.	MNR-002	Agricultural Policy: Formulation, Components, Process, Implementation and Comparative Analysis	Compulsory	4 Credits
3.	MNRE-015	Cooperatives and Farmers’ Organizations	Elective	4 Credits
4.	MNRE-016	Project Analysis	Elective	4 Credits

Eligibility for Admission
Graduation in any discipline

Name of the Programme	Prog. Code	Eligibility for PGCAP	Min. age as on 1st Jan. of the Academic Year	Duration		Programme Fee	Medium of Instruction
				Min	Max
(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)	(7)	(8)	(9)
PG Certificate in Agriculture Policy	PGCAP	Graduation in any discipline	No Bar	6 months	2 Years	Rs. 3,000/-	English

Medium of Instruction
PG Certificate in Agriculture Policy will be offered in English language only.

Target Group
The target group includes persons/organizations involved in policy making and implementation at the state/regional and central levels having stake in agriculture and rural development.

Duration
The minimum duration of the programme is 6 months. However, the students are given a maximum period of the two years to complete the programme from the date of registration. After which, the student have to apply for readmission paying the pro rata fee for each incomplete course of theory for further period of one year only.

Programme Fee
The fee for the PG Certificate Programme is Rs. 3,000.00. 

The course fee should be paid only by way of Demand Draft drawn in the name of IGNOU and payable at the city where your Regional Centre is situated. Please write your name (in capitals), complete Enrolment No. and Programme Code on the back of Demand Draft to ensure proper credit to your account.

The Fee can also be remitted in cash in the branches of Indian Bank or IDBI.  The list of branches which are authorized for fee collection are given in Appendix-VI. For this, Rs. 5/- (Rupees five only) is chargeable from the students per single transaction in cash while depositing the fees with the Bank.

Programme Study Centre
The University is in process of finalising programme study centers. The programme study centers will be allocated to the students near to their workplace or residence.

Online Platform
The PG Certificate in Agriculture Policy shall be available Online Platform. It is a complete virtual learning environment suite covering all the activities from registration to certification. The following features shall be available to the registered students.
(i)  Walk in admission: The Programme shall be offered in both January and July cycle. The applications received through by post at the concerned Regional Centres and through online by 31st December shall be considered for Admission to January cycle. Registration form shall be specially devised with the facility of uploading scanned certificates, other required documents and photograph. Registration will be confirmed only after verification of the certificates and payment of the required admission fee. Facility for online payment shall be available through the payment gateway (AXIS Bank) being offered by the University for online programme.
(ii)  Integrated multimedia courseware - once registered, learners will have access to personalized learning space (My Page). This includes self instructional material, related audio/video, slides, self check exercises, etc. weaved in one platform.
(iii)  Online counseling and mentoring – web cast based counseling integrated with text based chatting facility shall be used of counseling purposes.
(iv) Learner support: Asynchronous and synchronous modes of interactions will be used to provide just in time support to learners.
(v) Online Term End Examination – On line examinations will be conducted in specified centers in proctored environment.