29-05-2025
Soil Yatra 2025: Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria flags off mobile soil testing van; vehicle to tour more than 18,000 villages
Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria Thursday flagged off a mobile soil testing van as part of the Soil Yatra 2025 from the Raj Bhavan in Chandigarh.
The initiative, led by GreenAffair Sustainable Solutions Pvt Ltd, a Punjab Agricultural University (PAU)-PABI-supported startup, marks a significant leap toward data-driven, regenerative farming practices, said PAU Ludhiana, in a statement.
'The Soil Yatra is a woman-led, science-backed movement aimed at revolutionising soil health diagnostics across rural India. Equipped with cutting-edge soil testing technologies and a digital interface for real-time analysis, the van will travel across 18,000+ villages in Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh, promoting soil literacy, sustainable inputs, and precision agriculture,' said the varsity in a press release.
Dr M S Bhullar, Director, Extension Education, PAU, said, 'This is not just a vehicle – it is a mobile revolution bringing science to the soil. It's the kind of innovation that can transform how farmers manage their land, increase productivity, and reduce dependency on harmful chemicals.'
Dr T S Riar, Principal Investigator, PABI-PAU, and Dr Poonam A Sachdev, Co-Principal Investigator, Punjab Agri Business Incubator (PABI), emphasized the empowerment angle, saying, 'This campaign highlights how women-led enterprises are shaping India's future in agri-tech. It's inspiring to see a woman entrepreneur take the lead in transforming rural livelihoods through science and sustainability.'
The Soil Yatra is supported by a consortium of institutions, including IISER Mohali, NSRCEL IIM-B, Nexus UConn, and Startup Punjab, among others. The van, designed to conduct on-the-spot soil tests and offer customised reports, will help in guiding farmers on ideal crop and fertiliser use, thereby promoting regenerative farming and soil conservation. 'This is more than a campaign – it's a soil revolution for Bharat,' said a PAU expert.
