Odisha Krushi Unnat Sahayogi Internship Programme

Scheme Introduction: A Brief Overview

The Krushi Unnat Sahayogi (KUS) Internship Programme is a field-training initiative of the Department of Agriculture & Farmers' Empowerment, Government of Odisha. Under the programme, final-year Agriculture and Horticulture students work as Sahayogis at the block level and gain practical experience in agricultural extension services. The KUS Internship Programme 2026-27 was flagged off on 3rd October 2026 by Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Agriculture, Farmers' Empowerment and Energy, Shri Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, at the Krushi Shiksha Sadan Conference Hall of Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), Bhubaneswar.

The 2026-27 edition is the largest scale of the programme so far, with 964 final-year students deployed across all 314 blocks in Odisha's 30 districts. Around two to three Sahayogis are posted in each block. The internship runs for three months from October to December 2026 during the Kharif season. Each student who successfully completes the internship receives a stipend, which is expected to be of Rs 21,000 and a completion certificate issued by the Chief District Agriculture Officer of the concerned district.

The programme strengthens field-level agricultural extension services while helping students understand farming conditions beyond the classroom. Sahayogis work alongside the Department's extension personnel, interact directly with farmers, understand their problems, and document farmer feedback and success stories. The programme also gives participants practical exposure across different agro-climatic zones of Odisha and helps them understand how agricultural schemes and extension services operate at the grassroots level.

During the current three-month deployment, Sahayogis have defined field targets and responsibilities. These include monitoring crop pests and diseases through the e-Pest Surveillance platform and National Pest Surveillance System (NPSS), conducting qualitative surveys of 100 farmers each, carrying out five semi-physical Crop Cutting Experiments, visiting agricultural input dealers and interacting with FPOs, SHGs, PACS or LAMPS. They also create awareness among farmers about government agricultural schemes and departmental digital applications.

The KUS programme is not a new initiative. The Agriculture Development Associates programme, under which students worked as Krushi Unnat Sahayogis, has been implemented by the Directorate of Agriculture & Food Production since 2019. It has expanded over the years, with the 2026-27 edition becoming the first to cover all 314 blocks of Odisha. The programme therefore combines practical agricultural education with field-level extension support during an important farming season.

Unlike Odisha CM Kisan Yojana, KUS is not a public application or farmer-benefit scheme. There is no general online registration form or public student-facing application portal for the programme. Participation is arranged through participating agricultural universities and colleges, which coordinate student selection and deployment with the Department. Selected students attend orientation and counselling, receive their Block and Gram Panchayat allotment, and then complete the prescribed field activities during the internship.

Scheme Benefits

The Krushi Unnat Sahayogi (KUS) Internship Programme helps final-year Agriculture and Horticulture students gain practical experience by connecting their classroom learning with real field-level agricultural activities. The programme provides the following benefits:

• Gain practical knowledge by working directly with farmers at the grassroots level.
• Get practical exposure to agricultural extension activities at the Block and Gram Panchayat levels.
• Learn to use the KUS App and other digital tools used for field-level agricultural activities.
• Gain experience in understanding farmers' problems, collecting field information, and documenting farmer feedback and success stories.
• Receive a stipend of ₹21,000 for successfully completing the current three-month internship.
• Receive a completion certificate after successfully completing the internship programme.
• Understand how government agricultural programmes and extension services work at the grassroots level.
• Develop practical skills that can support future careers in the agriculture sector.

Eligibility Requirements

The Krushi Unnat Sahayogi (KUS) Internship Programme is designed for students pursuing agricultural education who are ready to gain practical field-level experience. The available programme information confirms the following eligibility conditions:

• The applicant should be a final-year undergraduate student of Agriculture or Horticulture.
• The student should be studying in an eligible agricultural university or institution participating in the KUS programme.
• The student should be selected through the prescribed institutional or departmental selection process.
• The selected student should be willing to participate in field activities at the assigned Block and Gram Panchayat level.
• The student should complete the prescribed internship activities and field assignments during the programme period.

The available public information does not specify an age limit, family income limit, caste condition, or separate domicile requirement for the KUS Internship Programme 2026–27. Therefore, these conditions should not be added unless they appear in the official selection notice or programme guidelines.

Duties and Field Activities of the Sahayogis

The Krushi Unnat Sahayogi (KUS) Internship Programme assigns defined field activities to the selected Sahayogis. During the 2026-27 edition, they work alongside the Department's agricultural extension personnel and carry out field-level surveys, crop surveillance, farmer interactions and agricultural assessments according to a fixed schedule.

• Work from Monday to Friday between 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM alongside Gram Panchayat-level agricultural extension personnel.
• Monitor crop pest and disease conditions using the e-Pest Surveillance platform and the National Pest Surveillance System (NPSS).
• Conduct a qualitative survey covering 100 farmers each and collect their feedback and field-level information.
• Carry out five semi-physical Crop Cutting Experiments (CCEs) each to assess crop yields.
• Visit local agricultural input dealers in the assigned area and collect information about agricultural inputs.
• Visit one Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO), two Self-Help Groups (SHGs), and two Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) or Large-sized Adivasi Multipurpose Societies (LAMPS).
• Create awareness among farmers about government agricultural schemes and the Department's digital and mobile applications.
• Document on-ground agricultural challenges, farmer feedback and successful farming practices from the field.

Across the 2026-27 programme, the 964 Sahayogis are expected to cover around 96,000 farmers through the qualitative surveys and complete nearly 5,000 Crop Cutting Experiments during the three-month internship.

Monitoring and Evaluation

The programme is monitored digitally rather than through paper reporting, and performance is reviewed through the internship rather than only at the end.

• Each intern's activities and performance are tracked through the dedicated KUS mobile application.
• Progress is monitored by supervisors through the ADAPT Dashboard, the Department's agricultural decision-support platform.
• Block Agriculture Officers (BAOs) and Assistant Agriculture Officers (AAOs) conduct weekly reviews of the interns' work.
• Attendance is captured through GPS, recording the intern's live location at their allotted Gram Panchayat.
• Completion certificates are issued at district level by the Chief District Agriculture Officer.

Required Documents

The Government of Odisha has not publicly specified a separate document list for the Krushi Unnat Sahayogi (KUS) Internship Programme 2026–27 in the official programme information currently available. The programme is implemented for selected final-year Agriculture and Horticulture students, with their field training and activities managed through the concerned institutions and Agriculture Department officials.

• Student identity and academic details as required during the selection or institutional process.
• Proof of being a final-year Agriculture or Horticulture student, wherever required by the concerned institution.
• Documents required for registration or verification in the prescribed departmental system, if applicable.

Students should follow the instructions issued by their concerned university, college or Agriculture Department authority for the exact documents required during selection and onboarding. No separate official 2026–27 KUS document checklist has been identified so far.

Krushi Unnat Sahayogi Mobile Application

The Department of Agriculture & Farmers' Empowerment, Government of Odisha, has developed the Krushi Unnat Sahayogi (KUS) Mobile Application for Agriculture Development Associates participating in the internship programme. The application supports field-level activities by helping Sahayogis record attendance, conduct surveys, and collect information from farmers and agricultural areas.

• The application is used by KUS Sahayogis for carrying out assigned field activities.
• It supports GIS-based attendance and allows Sahayogis to mark their attendance at the assigned Gram Panchayat.
• Sahayogis can conduct different field surveys through the application.
• The application allows collection of information about the availability of seeds, fertilizers and pesticides.
• Sahayogis can record information about problems faced by farmers during field visits.
• The application helps the Agriculture Department collect on-ground information from different areas through the participating Sahayogis.

Steps to Apply

There is no online or offline public application process for the Krushi Unnat Sahayogi (KUS) Internship Programme. Participation is arranged through participating agricultural universities and colleges in coordination with the Department of Agriculture & Farmers' Empowerment, Odisha. Students can become part of the programme through the institutional nomination and deployment process.

• Enrol in an undergraduate Agriculture or Horticulture degree at an agricultural university or college in Odisha that participates in the programme.
• Reach the final year of the degree after completing the theory component of the course.
• Wait for your institution to announce the KUS internship cycle. The Department coordinates with participating universities, and students are nominated through their college or institution.
• Attend the orientation and counselling session conducted before deployment.
• Collect your allotted Block and Gram Panchayat details and report to the assigned Block Agriculture Office.
• Download the Krushi Unnat Sahayogi Mobile Application from Google Play and log in using the credentials issued to you.
• Complete the prescribed field targets, activities and weekly reviews during the three-month internship.
• Successfully complete the internship to receive the prescribed stipend and completion certificate issued by the Chief District Agriculture Officer.

Important: The Department has not published a formal student-facing selection notification, application form, cut-off, or dedicated application portal for the programme. Students should therefore rely on announcements and instructions issued by their concerned agricultural university or college.

Relevant Links

• Department of Agriculture & Farmers' Empowerment, Government of Odisha Official Website
• Krushi Unnat Sahayogi App on Google Play
• Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) Official Website

Contact Information

• Odisha Agriculture Department Contact Details
• Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) Phone Number:
  • 0674- 2397970
  • 0674-2397818
• OUAT Email Helpdesk: [email protected]