Lok Sabha Question No. 40 (STARRED), answered on 2023-12-05
Subject: National e-Governance Plan in Agriculture
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Balashowry Vallabbhaneni

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

## LOK SABHA

## STARRED QUESTION NO. 40

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 05 TH  DECEMBER, 2023

## 'NATIONAL E-GOVERNANCE PLAN IN AGRICULTURE'

## *40. SHRI BALASHOWRY VALLABHANENI:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE क ृ िष एवं िकसान कʞाण मंũी be pleased to State:

- (a) whether the Government is implementing National e-Governance Plan in Agriculture; (b) if so, the details of funds provided to the State of Andhra Pradesh for use of modern technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Robotics, Drones, Data Analytics, etc. used in agriculture and its value-chain during the last five years and the current year, year-wise; and the details of Digital Public Infrastructure and the manner in which it helps in addressing

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

क ृ िष एवं िकसान कʞाण मंũी

(a) to (c):

(SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR) A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

- (c) the farmer-centric solutions?

## STATEMENT IN RESPECT OF PARTS (a) TO (c) OF THE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 40 DUE FOR ANSWER ON 05.12.2023 REGARDING 'NATIONAL eGOVERNANCE PLAN IN AGRICULTURE'

(a) to (c): Yes, Sir. The National e-Governance Plan in Agriculture (NeGPA) scheme was initially launched as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme in 2010-11 in selected states to achieve  rapid  development  of  agriculture  in  India  through  the  use  of  Information  and Communication  Technology.  This  scheme  was  subsequently  extended  in  2014-15  to cover all the States/Union Territories. NeGPA guidelines were amended in 2020-21 to incorporate  projects  involving  the  use  of  modern  Information  Technologies,  such  as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Block chain Technology, the Internet of Things, Robotics, etc. Central Government considers the proposal submitted by State Government in line with the NeGPA guidelines. The details of funds provided to the State of Andhra Pradesh for use of modern technologies during the last five years is as under:

| Year    | Project Name                                                                                      | Central share   | Amount released                                                                |
|---------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2020-21 | Unified Digital Programme (UDP) for Agriculture                                                   | Rs.425.70 Lakh  | Rs.425.70 Lakh                                                                 |
| 2021-22 | Implementation of Phase-II 'Unified Digital Platform app to operate Rythu Bhrosa Kendralu (RBKs)' | Rs.2667.6 Lakh  | 1 st installment of 25% of Central share i.e. Rs. 666.9lakh has been released. |

The  Unified  Digital  Platform  caters  to  various  farmer  services  under  one  roof  by bringing together all supply-chain stakeholders, farmers, local NGOs, Agriculture input companies,  Government  agencies,  Private  businessesfor  the  implementation  of  all agricultural services.

Further, Government has taken various steps to provide access to technology and information across the country to address the farmer-centric solutions, through various digital initiatives, such as:

- i. Government has built Digital Public Infrastructure for Agriculture as an open source, open standard at interoperable public goods as per budget announcements for the 2023-24. In this regards, Architecture of three core registries i.e. Farmer registry, Geo referencing  of  village  map  registry,  crop  sown  registry  has  been  finalized.  These

registries  can  be  used  to  develop  various  farmers  centric  solutions  by  the  state governments as well as private sector entities.

- ii. Under PM KISAN Scheme, fund is directly transferred into the bank accounts of the eligible  farmers  under  Direct  Benefit  Transfer  mode.  Farmers  can  do  their  selfregistration through the Farmers Corner in the portal. PM-KISAN Mobile App was launched to broaden the reach of the scheme where farmers can view beneficiary status, update or carry out corrections of name based on their Aadhaar card and also they can see history of benefits transferred to their bank accounts. Recently, face authentication feature has also been included in PM-KISAN mobile App.
- iii. National Project on Soil Health and Fertility:-Issuance of soil health cards to farmers of the country, so as to provide a basis to address nutrient deficiencies in fertilization practices. Soil Health Card Portal is available where farmers can track soil samples.
- iv. Several new technological initiatives has been taken under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana such as Yield Estimation System, based on Technology (YES-Tech), Weather  Information  Network  Data  Systems  (WINDS)  portal  and  door  to  door enrollment  app  AIDE/Sahayak.  YES-TECH,  a  technology-driven  yield  estimation system, offering methodologies, best practices, and integration insights for accurate yield  assessments  at  the  Gram  Panchayat  level.  WINDS  Portal  is  a  centralized platform that hosts, manages, and processes hyper-local weather data collected by Automatic Weather Stations and Rain Gauges at Taluk/Block and Gram Panchayat levels. The portal enhances risk assessment and decision-making in crop insurance, agriculture advisories, and disaster mitigation, supporting the agricultural sector and rural economy.
- v. National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) is a pan-India electronic trading portal which networks  the  existing  Agricultural  Produce  Market  Committee  (APMC)  mandis  to create  a  unified  national  market  for  agricultural  commodities.  Digital  services  are provided  to  traders,  farmers,  Farmers  Producer  Organizations  (FPO),  Mandis through various modules of e-NAM platform such as FPO trading module, warehouse based trading module.
- vi. Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF): To mobilize a medium - long term debt finances facility for investment in viable projects for post-harvest management Infrastructure and community farming assets through incentives and financial support in order to improve  agriculture  infrastructure  in  the  country.  Financial  assistance  is  provided digitally in the form of Interest Subvention and Credit Guarantee for setting up post-
6. harvest  management  Infrastructure  to  beneficiaries  such  as  Farmers,  Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), Farmer Producers Organisations (FPOs), Self

Help Groups (SHG), State Agencies/APMCs. National  Mission  on  Horticulture:  It  Promotes  holistic  development  of  Horticulture sector (including bamboo & coconut) HORTNET project is a web enabled work flowbased  system  for  providing  financial  assistance  under  MIDH.  It  is  a  unique intervention to accomplish e-Governance in NHM where-in total transparency has been  envisaged  in  all  the  processes  of  workflow  i.e.,  online  application  filing, authentication,  processing  and  online  payment  to  the  beneficiary's  bank  account

- vii. through DBT.
- viii. To create awareness on use of Kisan Drones, the government under Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM) is providing financial assistance for its purchase and  demonstration  on  the  farmers'  fields.  To  promote  technology  in  the  rural development and agriculture sectors government has approved 15 thousand drones to  women  through  Self-Help  Groups.  Drone  Didi  program  enhance  the  women capabilities and improve their livelihood.

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