ICAR-ICMR partnership opens a new path towards Healthy Food, Healthy Farms and a Healthy India

Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, and Chemicals and Fertilisers, Shri JP Nadda, and Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, and Rural Development, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday launched the ‘SEHAT Mission’ in Delhi, describing it as a major national initiative under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi that seeks to connect agriculture, nutrition and public health through scientific collaboration. The mission has been jointly launched by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) with the objective of building a framework for ‘Healthy Food, Healthy Farms and a Healthy India’. Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shri Bhagirath Choudhary, ICMR Director General Dr Rajiv Bahl and ICAR Director General Dr ML Jat were also present during the launch programme.

Addressing the gathering, Union Health Minister Shri JP Nadda said the ‘SEHAT Mission’ represents a major transformation in India’s policy-making approach, where the government is no longer focusing only on treatment but also on prevention, early detection and continuous care. He said the initiative demonstrates that India is now moving ahead with a proactive rather than reactive healthcare approach.

Shri Nadda said that agricultural and health institutions in the country had, for decades, functioned separately, but the coming together of ICAR and ICMR marks the beginning of a new era of science-based and evidence-driven solutions. According to him, the mission will play a significant role in addressing both malnutrition and the rapidly rising burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and cancer. He said India must now develop indigenous solutions rooted in its own scientific research, institutional experience and evidence-based practices.

“Low-cost, high-quality and scientifically validated solutions will be the most useful for the country, and ICMR is fully committed to working in this direction,” Shri Nadda said.

The Union Health Minister further said that the ‘SEHAT Mission’ is not merely a standalone programme but an example of a “whole of government” and “whole of systems” approach, in which science, policymaking, and implementation mechanisms must function together in an integrated manner. He expressed confidence that the mission would make a major contribution towards building a healthier and stronger India.

Union Agriculture Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan described the launch of the ‘SEHAT Mission’ as a historic and unprecedented step for the country, saying it would establish a strong framework for building a healthy India by integrating farming, nutrition and healthcare.