Lok Sabha Question No. 1548 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-07-26
Subject: New Schemes in PPP Mode
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Ramesh Chandra Majhi

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1548

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 26 TH  JULY, 2022

## NEW SCHEMES IN PPP MODE

## 1548. SHRI RAMESH CHANDRA MAJHI

Will  the  Minister  of  AGRICULTURE  AND  FARMERS  WELFARE कृ षि  एवं  ककसान  कल्याण मंत्री be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  is  proposing  to  launch  a  new  schemes  in  Public  -  Private Partnership (PPP) mode under which farmers will be provided with digital and hi-tech services, if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether  the  Government  is  proposing  a  start-up  fund  with  blended  capital  facilitated through NABARD for agriculture and rural enterprises, if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government has proposed to promote the use of KISHAN DRONES; and
- (d) the details of other steps being taken by the Government with an emphasis on the startup ecosystem in agriculture?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## कृ षि एवं ककसान कल्याण मंत्री (SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR)

- (a)  A  Steering  Committee  has  been  constituted  comprising  of  experts  from  different Ministries  of  Government  of  India,  fields/domain,  educational  &  research  Institutes, private tech players and other stakeholders for advising on various initiatives that are being  undertaken,  especially  India  Digital  Ecosystem  in  Agriculture  (IDEA)  and  the proposed AgriStack,  including  implementation  experiences  across  different  fields  and sectors.

Further, Ministry of Agriculture  and  Farmers  Welfare  had  organized  a Digital Agriculture-Stakeholder Consultation meet  on  11.07.2022  in  New  Delhi,  to  create  a vision  for  Public  Private  Partnership  for  the  delivery  of  digital  and  hi-tech  services  to farmers with the involvement of public sector research and extension institutions along with private agri-tech players and stakeholders of agri-value chain.

- (b)  Government of India has made an announcement in the Union Budget 2022 regarding the  setting  up  of  a  fund  routed  through  NABARD  under  a  co-investment  model  to finance startups in the agritech space.
- (c)  Looking into the unique advantages of Drone technologies in agriculture, the Department  of  Agriculture  &  Farmers  Welfare  has  released  the  Standard  Operating Procedures  (SOPs)  for  use  of  drones  in  pesticide  and  nutrient  application  in  public domain  in  December  2021,  which  provide  concise  instructions  for  effective  and  safe operations of drones. In order to make this technology affordable to the farmers and other  stakeholders  of  this  sector,  financial  assistance  @  100%  for  purchase  of agricultural drones and its attachments (actual cost of expenditure and its attachments or  Rs.  10.00  lakhs,  whichever  is  lower)  together  with  the  contingent  expenditure  is extended  under  Sub-Mission  on  Agricultural  Mechanization  (SMAM)  to  the  Farm Machinery  Training  &  Testing  Institutes  of  Indian  Council  of  Agricultural  Research, Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) and State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) and @ 75% to FPO's  for  its  demonstration  on  the  farmer's  fields.  In  order  to  provide  agricultural services  through  drone  application,  financial  assistance  @  40%  of  the  basic  cost  of drone  and  its  attachments  or  Rs.  4  lakhs,  whichever  is  less  also  provided  for  drone purchase  by  existing  and  new  Custom  Hiring  Centers  (CHCs)  and  also  a  general category farmers and @ 50% of the basic cost of drone and its attachments or Rs. 5 lakhs for SC/ST/women/small and marginal farmers and the agriculture graduates.
- (d)  A  component  called  'Innovation  and  Agri-Entrepreneurship  Development'  has  been launched under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY-RAFTAAR) in 2018-19 with the objective  of  promoting  innovation  and  agri-entrepreneurship  by  providing  financial support and nurturing the incubation ecosystem. Under this programme, start-ups are encouraged to use innovative technologies to resolve challenges faced in agriculture and  allied  sectors.  A  total  of  799  start-ups  have  been  selected  in  various  areas  of agriculture  and  allied  sectors  under  this  programme  for  providing  financial  support through Knowledge Partners and Agri Business Incubators appointed by the Department for implementation of this programme.

The Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) has been supporting Agri-based startups under the project called National Agriculture Innovation Fund (NAIF) initiated in year 2016-2017. It has two components viz. (I) Innovation Fund; (II) Incubation Fund and National Coordinating Unit (NCU):

- (i) Component I: 10 Zonal Technology Management Units and 89 Institute Technology Management Units (ITMUs) established in 99 ICAR institutes provide a single-window  mechanism  to  manage  innovations,  showcase  intellectual  assets, and pursue matters related to intellectual property (IP)  management and transfer/commercialization of technologies in these institutes.
- (ii) Component II: Agri-business Incubator Centres (ABICs) are set up to speed up the delivery of the new technologies to stake holders. The ABICs are the nodal point to provide the desired link for Agriculture Research &Development (R&D) Institutions for  incubation/  commercialization  of  the  validated  technologies.  So  far,  50  AgriBusiness  Incubation  Centers  have  been  established  and  are  operational  in  the ICAR network under the NAIF scheme.

*******