New Delhi: In a major step towards integrating agriculture, nutrition and healthcare, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) on Monday jointly launched “SEHAT – Science Excellence for Health through Agricultural Transformation”, a national mission aimed at improving public health through agriculture-based interventions.
The initiative was launched by Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda and Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in the presence of senior policymakers, scientists and stakeholders.
Describing the launch as a “historic step”, Nadda said India’s healthcare approach has undergone a major transformation in the last decade, shifting from a largely curative model to a preventive and holistic healthcare system. He said the SEHAT mission reflects this broader policy shift and underlines the growing convergence between the health and agriculture sectors.
The Union Health Minister highlighted the importance of indigenous innovations and evidence-based policy interventions, stating that India is increasingly relying on home-grown technologies and research suited to local needs. He also stressed the need for affordable, high-quality and scalable innovations in diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines.
Referring to the rising burden of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and cancer alongside persistent malnutrition, Nadda said food and nutrition would play a crucial role in addressing emerging public health challenges. He noted that while ICAR can help improve access to nutritious food systems, ICMR’s role would be to scientifically validate these interventions.
Speaking on the occasion, Chouhan termed the collaboration between ICMR and ICAR as an “unprecedented and historic initiative”. He said agriculture and health are deeply interconnected and emphasised the need to align agricultural production with the nutritional needs of the population.
The Agriculture Minister said the mission would help generate scientific evidence on the health benefits of specific crops and farming practices while also promoting sustainable and organic agriculture. He stressed the importance of creating awareness about healthy dietary habits to tackle lifestyle-related diseases.
Secretary, Department of Health Research and Director General of ICMR, Rajiv Bahl said India is currently facing a dual burden of undernutrition and overnutrition, making it essential to integrate agriculture with public health priorities. He said agriculture must evolve beyond food production to become a key driver of nutrition and health outcomes.
Under the SEHAT mission, the two institutions will focus on five key priority areas, including development of biofortified and nutrient-rich crop varieties, promotion of integrated farming systems, occupational health of agricultural workers, agriculture-based strategies to combat non-communicable diseases, and strengthening the “One Health” framework through integrated research and surveillance.
Officials said the mission-mode programme aims to generate evidence-based and scalable solutions that can improve nutritional security, strengthen preventive healthcare and support sustainable public health interventions across the country.
