Lok Sabha Question No. 112 (STARRED), answered on 2025-02-11
Subject: Use of Smart Technology in Agricultural Sector
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Shri P P Chaudhary

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

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 112

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 11 TH  FEBRUARY, 2025

## USE OF SMART TECHNOLOGY IN AGRICULTURAL SECTOR

*112. SHRI P P CHAUDHARY:

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

(a) whether innovative outreach methods like mobile apps and village-level digital kiosks are being used to help farmers understand and enroll in Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, if so, the details thereof and the extent of success achieved therein;

(b)  whether  artificial  intelligence  is  being  used  to  predict  crop  risks  and  prevent  farmer losses, particularly in regions like Rajasthan which are facing climate challenges and if so, the details thereof; and

(c) whether any success has been achieved from the pilot projects using smart technology for crop monitoring, if so, the details thereof along with the benefits delivered to the farmers?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE क ृ िष एवं िकसान कʞाण मंũी (SHRI SHIVRAJ SINGH CHOUHAN)

(a) to (c)  :     A statement is laid on the table of the House.

## STATEMENT REFERRED TO PART (a) TO (c) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 112  FOR  11 TH   FEBRUARY,    2025  REGARDING    USE  OF  SMART  TECHNOLOGY  IN AGRICULTURAL SECTOR

(a)  to  (c):    Pradhan  Mantri  Fasal  Bima  Yojana  (PMFBY)  envisages  use  of  improved technology.  Accordingly,  National  Crop  Insurance  Portal  (NCIP)  and  Application  for Intermediary Enrolment (AIDE) app have been developed to disseminate information about the scheme to the farmers.   Farmers, can insure themselves through the portal and apps and check the status of their application, claims etc.  Further, Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs) under Common Service Centres (CSCs) have also been engaged to enroll farmers and disseminate information regarding coverage, claims etc. under the scheme.    So far 33.22 lakh farmer applications have been enrolled through AIDE app and directly on NCIP.

Government has taken various steps to strengthen implementation of the scheme, leveraging technology in implementation of the scheme, capturing of yield data/Crop Cutting Experiments  (CCEs)  data  through  CCE-Agri  App  for  directly  uploading  it  on  the  NCIP, allowing insurance companies to witness the conduct of CCEs, integration of State land records with National Crop Insurance Portal (NCIP), roll out of app for farmers where they can check the status of their applications, enrollment of farmers through CSCs  etc.

An  AI  based  chatbot  namely  'PMFBY  WhatsApp  Chatbot'  to  assist  the  Farmers regarding PMFBY scheme has been initiated.

In addition to above, the Government has employed Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods to address various challenges in the agriculture sector to aid farmers.  Some of the initiatives are given below:

- i. 'Kisan e-Mitra', an AI-powered chatbot, has been developed to assist farmers with responses to the queries about the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Scheme.  This solution supports  multiple  languages  and  is  evolving  to  assist  with  other  government programs.
- ii. National Pest Surveillance System, for tackling the loss of produce due to climate change, utilizes AI and Machine Learning to detect pest infestation in crop issues, enabling timely intervention for healthier crops.
- iii. AI  based  analytics  using  field  photographs  for  crop  health  assessment  and  crop health  monitoring  using  Satellite,  weather  &  soil  moisture  datasets  for  Rice  and Wheat crop.

Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has carried out pilot studies for timely and  transparent  yield  estimation  under  PMFBY  using  technology  by  engaging  various Government  and  private  agencies  through  Mahalanobis  National  Crop  Forecast  Centre (MNCFC). Based on the findings of these pilots and after discussions with stakeholders & technical  consultations, YES-TECH (Yield Estimation System Based on Technology) has been introduced for paddy and wheat crops from Kharif 2023 and for Soyabean crop from  Kharif  2024.  Government  has  implemented  technology  based  yield  estimation  in combination with conventional Crop Cutting Experiments (CCEs) based yield estimation for improving crop loss assessment and achieving timely insurance claims payout for farmers. Under this initiative, 30% weightage to yield estimation has mandatorily been assigned to YES-TECH derived yield.

In Kharif 2023, all the YESTECH implementing States (Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar  Pradesh,  Assam,  Odisha,  Andhra  Pradesh  and  Maharashtra)  have  successfully completed claim calculation and payout using YESTECH and no dispute has been reported from any of the stakeholders, thereby, increasing transparency and efficiency in the system.

Madhya Pradesh State Government is implementing YESTECH for 100% yield estimation.

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