Lok Sabha Question No. 3679 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-12-10
Subject: Mobile App for Custom Hiring Service Centres
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Shyam Yadav Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, COOPERATION AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3679

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE  10 TH  DECEMBER, 2019

## MOBILE APP FOR CUSTOM HIRING SERVICE CENTRES

3679.  SHRI SHYAM SINGH YADAV:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंी be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  recently  launched  any  mobile  application  to  connect farmers  with  Custom  Hiring  Service  Centres  in  their  nearby  vicinity  and  if  so,  the  details thereof;
- (b) the details of aims and objectives of launching this application along with its benefits;
- (c) the details of the language options which the app is likely to offer;
- (d) whether the Government has created awareness to popularize this mobile app;
- (e) the total number of custom hiring service centres registered on this mobile app for the purpose of renting agricultural machineries and equipment; and
- (f) the  total  number  of  farmers  especially  small  and  marginal  farmers  who  are  getting affordable access to cutting-edge technology at their doorsteps with the help of this mobile application?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंी ( SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR)

- (a)  to  (f) : Yes Sir.

The  Government  has  developed  and  launched  Multi  lingual  Mobile  App  'CHC-  Farm Machinery'  which  helps  the  farmers  for  getting  rented  farm  machinery  and  implements through Custom Hiring Service Centers (CHC) in their area.

The above App was launched with the aims and objectives to provide an easy access to the High Value & Hi tech agricultural machinery available in CHCs in nearby local areas through a mobile application at compatible hiring rates to small and marginal farmers and farmers in difficult areas .

The benefits of this App are as below:

- 1) Facilitate Farmers to avail Custom hiring services.
- 2) Facilitate CHCs to provide Custom hiring services to farmers.
- 3) It is a multilingual app customized as per the need of the farmers.
- 4) Facilitate farmers to avail services of CHCs without any computer support system.
- 5) Small  and  marginal farmers  can  have  an  instant  access to  CHCs  on  a  simple  tap  on mobile.
- 6) Mobile apps will help to reach outreach the mechanization among the farmers in quick time.
- 7) Mobile-apps  has  an  interfaces  that  allow  Farmers  and  CHC  Providers  to  share  their experience.
- 8) Would assist in Strengthening Farm Mechanization in low Mechanized areas.
- 9) Provides Business Model to the Rural Youth.

At  present  the  App  is  in  twelve  languages  i.e.  Hindi,  English,  Bengali,  Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam,  Marathi, Nepali, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu.

The  steps  taken  to  create  awareness  and    to  popularize  this  App  is    enclosed  as Annexure-I.

As  on  date,  41,992  CHCs  with  1,33,723  Agricultural  machinery  for  renting  out  are registered on this Mobile app. Total 1,12,505 farmers as users are registered on this Mobile App for getting affordable access to cutting-edge technology at their doorsteps with the help of this mobile application.

## Annexure-I

## The Government has taken the following steps to create awareness  and to popularize this mobile CHC-Farm Machinery App-

- (i) To Create awareness about Mobile App a ' Hindi SMS Message ' was sent on the mobile phone of 32,09,128 farmers in Western Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab, registered with this department.
- (ii) Regular  monitoring  and  follow-up  are  undertaken  at  the  level  of  Senior  Officers  of Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare (DAC&FW) to promote and motivate for use of this mobile App among the farmers  & CHC owners though the officers and  staff  working  at  ground  level  in  State  Agriculture  departments,  KVKs  &  ICAR institutes and also published the advertisements through local print and electronic media, banners, painting, pamphlets  etc.
- (iii) Officers concerned of DAC&FW visited the CHCs in Western Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and  Punjab  to  give  the  live  demonstration  to  CHCs  and  Farmers  about  its  use  & registration of CHCs on this mobile app.
- (iv) An intensive  awareness  programmes  on  In  situ  management  of  Paddy  Straw  through Agricultural Mechanization and Mobile App CHCs -Farm Machinery was undertaken by this Department from 10.11.2019 to 16.11.2019 . These programmes were organized in collaboration with Officers concerned of State Agricultural Departments, KVKs, Farmers, CHCs  owners  &  Agricultural  Machinery  Manufacturers  at  Districts/  Blocks  &  village Levels  in  the  States  of  Punjab,  Haryana  and  Uttar  Pradesh.  For  this  awareness programmes total 36 teams of officers of the Department, were deputed in the districts of States of  Punjab,  Haryana  and Western  Uttar  Pradesh mentioned  against  each  team. Total, 21  districts  of  Punjab,  22  districts  of  Haryana  and  27  districts  of  western Uttar Pradesh were covered during this awareness programme.

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