Lok Sabha Question No. 4251 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-19
Subject: Flood Resilient Agricultural Practices
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Smt. Rachna Banerjee

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4251

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 19 TH  AUGUST, 2025

## FLOOD RESILIENT AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES

4251.   SMT. RACHNA BANERJEE:

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

- (a) whether  the  Government  provide  details  of  the  crop  losses  reported  from  various States due to the flood-like situation in the current monsoon season;
- (b) if so, the State and crop-wise assessment of the damage;
- (c) the  steps  is  the  Government  taking  to  improve  early  warning  systems  and  flood resilient agricultural practices to mitigate losses due to extreme weather events;
- (d) whether the Government is considering any special crop insurance or loan waiver scheme for the farmers affected by floods in this monsoon; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ͪष एवं ͩकसान कãयाण राÏय मंğी (SHRI RAMNATH THAKUR)

(a) & (b): As per the National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP), the primary responsibility  of  disaster  management  including  damage  assessment  and  providing  relief measures  on  ground  level,  rests  with  the  State  Governments  concerned.  The  Central Government  provides  requisite  logistics  and  financial  support  to  the  efforts  of  the  State Governments.  The  State  Governments  provide  financial  relief  to  the  affected  people  in  the event of 12 notified natural disasters, from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), already placed at its disposal, in accordance with approved items and norms of Government of India (GOI). However, in the event of disaster of a 'severe nature', additional financial assistance is extended from the National  Disaster  Response  Fund  (NDRF),  as per laid  down  procedure, which includes an assessment based on the visit of an Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT). The  financial  assistance  provided  under  SDRF  and  NDRF  is  by  way  of  relief  and  not  for compensation of losses suffered/ claimed.

The details of  the  fund  allocated  and  released  under  SDRF/NDRF to  the  States  are available on Disaster Management, MHA's website i.e. ndmindia.mha.gov.in.

(c): A Crop Weather Watch Group for Drought Management (CWWGDM) is in place in Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare to review the rainfall situation, progress of sowing of Kharif crops, reservoir levels and other parameters to determine/assess drought situation and to get first-hand information about the States' preparedness in the  event of any drought like development through weekly video conference with the State Governments/ other stakeholders during South-West Monsoon season (June to September).

The Crisis  Management Group  on Drought  is in place,  which  reviews  the  drought situation with the representatives of the line Departments, States and other stakeholders, as and when required.

The Crisis Management Plan (CMP) for Drought is in place. It focuses on drought management  interventions  required  during  the  time  of  crisis.  It  delineates  the  roles  and responsibilities of various stakeholders, including Central and State Governments and their agencies in managing the calamity. The CMP provides a crisis management framework to identify phases of the crisis and the strategic response corresponding to each such phase. The plan also provides for a Strategic Activity Planner, which acts as a ready reckoner for critical  steps  that  need  to  be  taken  in  different  times  of  the  year  with  respect  to  drought preparedness,  drought  reporting  and  drought  response  and  the  agencies  responsible  for the identified activities.

Measures for climate resilient agricultural practices under Department of Agriculture and  Farmers  Welfare  are  at Annexure  II .  The  Ministry  of  Earth  Sciences  (MoES)  has developed  advanced  early  warning  system  for  severe  weather  events  such  as  cyclones, heavy rainfall and other extreme conditions, which may please be seen at Annexure III.

(d) & (e): To provide financial  support  to  farmers  at  the  time  of  losses  due  to  natural calamities, a yield index-based Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and weather index based Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS) have been introduced  in  the  country  from  Kharif  2016  season.  It  is  a  demand  driven  scheme  and financial  liability  on  premium  subsidy  to  farmers  is  shared  by  the  Central  and  State Government on 50: 50 basis and 90: 10 in North Eastern States & other Hilly states, with effect from Kharif 2020 season. The scheme is voluntary for the States since inception and for all farmers w.e.f. Kharif 2020.

PMFBY provides for comprehensive risk insurance against crop damage from presowing to post-harvest for crops and area notified by the concerned State Government. The scheme not only safeguards against wide spread yield loss due to non-preventable natural risks/  &  extreme  climate  calamities  viz.  flood,  inundation,  landslide,  drought,  heat  waves, hailstorm,  cyclone,  pests/diseases,  natural  fire  and  lightening,  storm,  typhoon,  tempest, hurricane,  tornado  etc.  but  also  against  farm  level  yield  loss  due  to  localized  risks (hailstorm, landslide, inundation, cloud burst and natural fire) and post harvest losses due to cyclone, cyclonic/unseasonal rain and hailstorm and prevented sowing.

There is no proposal for loan waiver by the Government of India.

## The Details of States affected by Floods/ Heavy rainfall and affected crop area during current Monsoon Season 2025 (till 13.08.2025)

| S.No.   | Name of States/UTs                   | Affected Crop Area (in hectare)   |
|---------|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
| 1.      | Arunachal Pradesh                    | 1714                              |
| 2.      | Assam                                | 33966                             |
| 3.      | Jharkhand                            | 171                               |
| 4.      | Karnataka                            | 25824                             |
| 5.      | Maharashtra                          | 91429                             |
| 6.      | Manipur                              | 1440                              |
| 7.      | Meghalaya                            | 6372                              |
| 8.      | Nagaland                             | 556                               |
| 9.      | Odisha                               | 10115                             |
| 10.     | Punjab                               | 7893                              |
| 11.     | Sikkim                               | 8                                 |
| 12.     | Uttar Pradesh                        | 68234                             |
| 13.     | Jammu & Kashmir                      | 1239                              |
| 14.     | Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu | Nil                               |
| 15.     | Uttarakhand                          | 115                               |
| 16.     | Punjab                               | 7892                              |
| Total   | Total                                | 249076                            |

Source: As received from MHA.

## Measures for climate resilient agricultural practices under Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare

Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare implemented the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Sub-Mission on Agroforestry (SMAF) from 2016-17 to encourage tree plantation on farmland along with crops/ cropping systems to help the farmers get additional income. Sub-Mission  on  Agroforestry  (SMAF)  was  implemented  from  2016-17  to  2021-22  in  21 States  and  2  UTs.  The  SMAF  scheme  from  2023-24  has  been  restructured  as  an Agroforestry  Component  under  Rashtriya  Krishi  Vikas  Yojana  (RKVY)  that  focuses  on production  of  Quality  Planting  Material.  Agroforestry  helps  combat  climate  change  by sequestering carbon in trees and soil, reducing atmospheric CO ₂ levels. It enhances land resilience  by  preventing  soil  erosion,  improving  water  retention,  and  moderating  local temperatures. Additionally, Agroforestry protects ecosystems from extreme weather events like droughts and storms, making it an effective strategy for both climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Department  of  Agriculture  &  Farmers  Welfare  (DA&FW)  is  implementing  Centrally sponsored scheme of Rainfed Area Development (RAD) across the country from 2014-15. RAD  focuses  on  Integrated Farming  System  (IFS) for enhancing productivity and minimizing risks associated with climatic variability. From the Year 2014-15 to 2021-2022, the RAD was implemented as a component of National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA). During the (FY: 2022-23), RAD became a component of RKVY Scheme. Under RAD, crops/cropping system is integrated with activities like horticulture, livestock, fishery, agro-forestry,  apiculture  etc.  to  enable  farmers  not  only  in  maximizing  farm  returns  for sustaining  livelihood,  but  also  to  mitigate  the  impacts  of  drought,  flood  or  other  extreme weather  events.  Financial  assistance  of  Rs.  30,000/-  is  provided  to  each  farming  family under RAD component irrespective of the size of their land holding.

Indian  Council  of  Agricultural  Research  (ICAR) is  implementing  a  flagship  network project National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) to strengthen climate resilience  in  agriculture  and  to  promote  climate-resilient  agricultural  practices  across  the country. The measures being implemented by NICRA are:

District  level  risk  and  vulnerability  assessment  of  573  predominantly  agriculture districts  was  carried  out  as  per  Intergovernmental  Panel  on  Climate  Change  (IPCC) protocol and location specific climate resilient technologies have been demonstrated in one village cluster from each of the 151 climatically vulnerable districts to the farmers through farmer participatory approach. At district level, KVKs facilitate in convergence with various schemes  of  line  departments  for  upscaling  the  promising  climate  resilient  practices.  At village level, village climate risk management committees (VCRMCs), custom hiring centres (CHCs), seed banks and fodder banks help in spread of resilient technologies.

Climate resilient technologies include climate resilient varieties, resilient intercropping  systems,  conservation  agriculture,  crop  diversification  from  paddy  to  other alternate  crops  like  pulses,  oilseeds,  agroforestry  systems,  zero  till  sowing,  alternate methods of rice cultivation, green manuring, integrated farming systems, integrated nutrient and pest management, organic farming, in-situ moisture conservation, protective irrigation, micro irrigation etc. have been developed and demonstrated to large number of farmers. The  studies  indicate  that  change  in  sowing  time,  growing  short  duration,  heat, drought  and  flood  tolerant  varieties  with  improved  nutrient  and  water  management strategies enhances  the  productivity of major crops. Developed  District Agriculture Contingency  Plans  (DACPs)  for  651  districts  in  India  covering  weather  aberrations  and recommended  location  specific  climate  resilient  crops  and  varieties  and  management practices for use by the State departments (Available at https://agriwelfare.gov.in/en/DocAgriContPlan). Capacity building programs are also conducted to farmers and other stakeholders related to impact of climate change and their adaptation and mitigation measures.

## Annexure III

The  Ministry  of  Earth  Sciences  (MoES)  has  developed  advanced  early  warning systems for severe  weather events such  as cyclones,  heavy  rainfall,  and  other  extreme conditions.  Early  warning  for  severe  weather  events  is  supported  by  a  state-of-the-art observation  network  that  includes  surface,  upper  air,  remote  sensing  observations, seamless forecasting systems based on high-resolution dynamical models, and GIS-based tools  for  generating  alerts  and  warnings.  The  entire  system  is  integrated  with  modern telecommunication  technologies  to  ensure  the  timely  and  effective  dissemination  of information.

The National Centre for Seismology  (NCS) under the MoES  monitors the earthquakes  occurring in and  around  the  country  through  its seismological  network  and provides information about the earthquake occurrence with an intensity map.

The  India  Meteorological  Department  (IMD)  has  developed  an  end-to-end  GISbased Decision Support System (DSS), which works as the front end of the early warning systems  for  the  timely  detection  and  monitoring  of  all-  weather  hazards  across  the country, including the States regularly affected by cyclones and other natural  disasters. The system utilizes historical data, including extreme events, as well as real-time surface and  upper-air  meteorological  observations  available for  the Indian  region  and  its neighbouring  areas. It  also includes  RADAR  observations, available every  10 minutes, and  satellite  products  every 15 minutes.  It  also  uses numerical weather prediction products from a suite of models run in the MoES institutions.

A  Central  Sector  Scheme,  "Mission  Mausam",  is  launched  by  the  MoES  to  make Bharat a "Weather-ready and climate-smart" nation.

Various  steps  have  been  taken  to  ensure  effective  dissemination  of  warnings  to vulnerable  populations.  IMD's  weather information,  including  alerts  and  warnings  to  the public, is provided through various platforms:

- Mass  Media:  Radio/TV,  Newspaper  network  (AM,  FM,  Community  Radio, Private  TV), Prasar Bharati, and private broadcasters.
- Weekly & Daily Weather Video.
- Internet  (email), FTP
- Public Website (mausam.imd.gov.in)
- IMD Apps:  Mausam/Meghdoot/DAMINI/RAIN ALARM
- Social Media: Facebook, X, Instagram, BLOG
1.  X: https://twitter.com/Indiametdept
2.  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/India.Meteorological.Department/
3.  Blog: https://imdweather1875.wordpress.com/
4.  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mausam\_nwfc
5.  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC\_qxTReoq07UVARm87CuyQw

IMD has also brought out a web-based online "Climate Hazard & Vulnerability Atlas of India"  prepared  for  the  thirteen  most  hazardous  meteorological  events,  which  cause extensive damage and economic, human, and animal losses.

IMD  has  launched  seven  of  its  services  (Current  Weather,  Nowcast,  City  Forecast, Rainfall Information, Tourism Forecast, Warnings, and Cyclone) with the 'UMANG' Mobile

App  for  use  by the  public.  IMD  developed  a  mobile  App,  'MAUSAM'  for  weather forecasting,  'Meghdoot'  for  Agromet  advisory  dissemination,  and  'Damini'  for  lightning alerts. The Common Alert Protocol (CAP), developed by the NDMA, is also implemented to disseminate warnings by the IMD. The  Central  Water  Commission  (CWC)  issues  short-range  flood  forecasts  with  a lead  time  of  up  to  24  hours  to  concerned  State  Governments  at  identified  locations. Timely flood forecasts are issued when a certain threshold limit is reached.

To  disseminate  information  related  to  the  flood  situation  in  the  country  and  flood forecasts up to 7 days on a real-time basis to the public through mobile phones, version 2.0 of the 'FloodWatch India' mobile application has been developed by the CWC, which provides  current  information  on  flood  conditions  across  the  country.  Further,  it  also provides additional information regarding the storage positions of 150 major reservoirs in the country, which helps in a better understanding of the possible flood situation in their downstream areas. The 'FloodWatch India' app is available for download.

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