Agricultural Development and Techno-Science in Nehruvian State

What was the significance of agriculture in the developmental imagination of the new nation-state and how did the state and various statist agencies planned to use science and technology as a tool for agricultural development? The paper will mainly deliberate on two aspects of agricultural development in post-colonial India: 1) how the plan for agricultural development witnessed contestations and compromises between principles of social equity and emphasis on a capitalized model 2) How this debate shaped the work of agricultural scientists who were working to modernize the production of the two most important foodcrops of Indians-rice and wheat. In exploring the history of agricultural development in India, the paper wishes to shed light on the working of a developmental regime and contextualize its policies and programs in a broader social, economic and political narrative.