Basic Agriculture Training Centre (BATC) Scheme

What is the Basic Agriculture Training Centre Scheme?

Basic Agriculture Training Centre (BATC) Scheme is a state plan scheme of the Department of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, Government of Meghalaya. According to the department's Compendium of State Plan & Centrally Sponsored Schemes, the objective is "providing short-term vocational training for rural educated unemployed youths in agriculture and allied sectors to develop entrepreneurship skills and employment generation".

The scheme is aimed at a narrow and specific group: a young person in rural Meghalaya who has finished Class X, has no job, has access to family or leased farmland, and wants to make a living from it. BATC exists to give that person the technical training and the small pot of starting capital that turns land into an enterprise.

What a trainee receives

• Free vocational training in agriculture and allied sectors. The compendium records the pattern of assistance as "free short term training to educated unemployed rural youth".
• A stipend of Rs 500 per participant per month during the training period.
• Seed money of Rs 10,000 per participant to start a farm-based venture.

The stipend and seed money figures come from the Department of Agriculture's FAQ on Agriculture Schemes, which lists them as the type of assistance and entitlement under this scheme.

On duration, the department's own documents differ in emphasis. The Directorate of Agriculture's citizen charter lists "conducting 1 Year training on Basic Agriculture (BATC)" among its extension and training services, while the scheme compendium describes BATC more loosely as short-term vocational training. Because the batch length determines how much stipend a trainee actually draws over the course, confirm the current batch duration with the Principal of the centre before applying.

BATC runs close alongside a second scheme with the same purpose, TREYSEFA; Training of Rural Educated Youth for Self Employment in Farm Based Activities. TREYSEFA targets the same profile of applicant, assists trainees with seed money to start their ventures on successful completion, and gives scholarship and stipend during training, but it is applied for in a prescribed form through the District Agriculture Officer or District Horticulture Officer rather than on plain paper to a Principal. A candidate turned down for one may well fit the other, so it is worth asking about both at the same office visit.

Who is eligible for the BATC scheme in Meghalaya?

You can apply if:

• You have passed Class X.
• You are an unemployed rural youth of Meghalaya.
• You own or lease agricultural land on which you can start a farm-based activity.
• You are interested in starting a farm-based enterprise for your livelihood, which is the stated purpose of the training.

You cannot apply if:

• You have not passed Class X. The educational floor is explicit in the department's FAQ.
• You hold no agricultural land, owned or leased. Selection is expressly conditional on land the trainee can farm, so a landless candidate does not meet the condition however strong the rest of the application.
• You are already employed. The scheme targets unemployed youth.
• You are an urban applicant with no rural base, since the scheme is framed around rural educated unemployed youth.

Unlike most Meghalaya agriculture schemes, BATC is not allotted first come, first served. The department states that selection is based on merit, subject to the condition that applicants own agriculture land on which they can start farm-based activities. A carefully written application with clean documents therefore counts for more here than the date it was submitted.

What documents are required for BATC?

How to apply for the Basic Agriculture Training Centre Scheme

1. Confirm the batch. Contact the Principal, Basic Agriculture Training Centre, or the District Training Officer at Upper Shillong, Tura or Jowai, to find out when the next intake opens and how long the batch runs.
2. Write a plain paper application to the Principal, BATC. State your name, village, block and district, your Class X result, the land you own or lease with its area, and the farm-based activity you intend to start.
3. Attach your documents; Class X certificate, land proof, and a bonafide or residence certificate from your village Headman or Nokma.
4. Submit the application to the Principal, BATC. The compendium also allows the application to be routed through the Agriculture Development Officer of your C&RD Block or Agriculture Circle, one of 39 blocks and 16 agriculture circles in the state.
5. Obtain an acknowledgement with the date of receipt.
6. Attend the selection. Candidates are screened on merit against the land condition, so be ready to show that the land is genuinely available to you.
7. Complete the training and claim the seed money. The stipend is paid during the course; the seed money is meant to capitalise the venture you start afterwards.

How do I check the status of my BATC application?

BATC has no online application or status tracker. Follow up in person:

1. Contact the Principal, Basic Agriculture Training Centre where you applied.
2. Contact the District Training Officer at Upper Shillong, Tura or Jowai.
3. Escalate to the District Agriculture Officer of your district if selection results are not communicated.
4. Call the Kisan Call Centre on 1800-180-1551, open 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM daily, for scheme information.

Government offices in Meghalaya work 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM in summer and 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM in winter.

Common reasons applications fail

• No land proof. The single most common disqualifier. The scheme's selection condition is land the trainee can actually farm; without documentary proof, the application cannot clear screening.
• Class X certificate not attached. Attach the certificate or marksheet, not a self-declaration.
• No bonafide or residence certificate. Obtain one from the village Headman or Nokma before applying.
• Applied after the batch was filled. Intake is tied to training batches rather than running continuously. Ask about the next batch and apply into it.
• Vague statement of intent. Because selection is on merit, a specific plan. The crop or activity, the plot, the area — reads better than a general request for training.
• Scheme not sanctioned that year. The compendium warns that continuation of any scheme in a given year is at the discretion of the State Government and depends on funds. Confirm with the District Agriculture Officer.

What are the key dates?

BATC has no fixed annual last date published. Because it is a training scheme rather than an input distribution, intake follows the centre's batch calendar, and the only reliable way to time an application is to ask the Principal or the District Training Officer when the next batch begins. Applicants should ask early rather than wait for an advertisement, since the department does not publish BATC intake dates on a central portal.

Where do I go for help or to complain?

• Kisan Call Centre: 1800-180-1551, 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM daily, including Sunday.
• Principal, Basic Agriculture Training Centre, the scheme's operating authority for admission.
• District Training Officer, Upper Shillong, Tura or Jowai.
• Director of Agriculture, Cleve Colony, Government Fruit Garden, Shillong-793003 to telephone (0364) 2222460, email agri-meg@nic.in.
• Written grievances to the District Agriculture Officer of your district, or to the Director of Agriculture at headquarters.
• Online grievances on the state government grievance portal at mii.nic.in.

Training under BATC is free. No fee is payable for the course, and no agent can charge for securing a seat, the stipend and seed money flow to the trainee, not away from them.