Lok Sabha Question No. 1523 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-29
Subject: Adoption of New and Emerging Technologies in Agriculture
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Dr. Kalanidhi Veeraswamy

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1523

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 29 TH  JULY, 2025

## ADOPTION OF NEW AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES IN AGRICULTURE

1523. DR. KALANIDHI VEERASWAMY:

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

- (a)  the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  promote  the  adoption  of  new  and  emerging technologies in agriculture such as Artificial  Intelligence  (AI), precision  farming,  drone technology, climate-smart agriculture and biotechnology;
- (b)  the details of any pilot projects or initiatives undertaken in the State of Tamil Nadu for the introduction of such technologies during the last five years;
- (c)  whether the Government is providing financial incentives, technical support, or training programs for farmers, particularly small and marginal farmers to adopt these technologies;
- (d)  the total funds allocated and disbursed to Tamil Nadu under schemes such as the Digital Agriculture  Mission,  Sub-Mission  on  Agricultural  Mechanization  (SMAM)  and  Krishi Yantra Subsidy Scheme since 2019, year-wise; and
- (e)  whether the Government has collaborated with research institutions, agri-tech startups, or  the  State  Government  of  Tamil  Nadu  to  promote  technology-driven  agricultural practices and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE क ृ िष एवं िकसान कʞाण राǛ मंũी (SHRI RAMNATH THAKUR)

- (a) to (c): The government has taken various steps to promote the adoption of new and emerging technologies in  agriculture  such  as  Artificial  Intelligence  (AI),  precision  farming, drone technology, climate-smart agriculture in the States/UTs including the state of Tamil Nadu, such as:
- I. The Government of India is implementing the 'Innovation and AgriEntrepreneurship  Development'  programme  under  Rashtriya  Krishi  Vikas Yojana (RKVY) from 2018-19 onwards with an objective to promote innovation and  agri-entrepreneurship  by  providing  financial  support  and  nurturing  an incubation  ecosystem  in  the  country.  The  government  has  appointed  5 Knowledge  Partners  (KPs)  and  24  RKVY  Agribusiness  Incubators  (R-ABIs) from  across  the  country  for  implementation  assistance  and  incubation  of startups under this programme. Start-ups are taking projects in various field of agriculture and allied sectors like Precision agriculture including applications of sensor,  Artificial  Intelligence  (AI),  Internet  of  Things  (IoT),  Information  & Communication  Technology  (ICT),  &  drone,    Farm  Mechanization,  PostHarvest,  Food  Technology  &  Value  addition,  Supply  Chain  and  Agriculture logistics & agriculture inputs, Waste to Wealth & Green Energy in Agriculture & Organic Farming, Allied Sectors etc. Under this programme, for the idea/pre-

seed  stage,  a  selected  start-up  shall  be  eligible  for  a  maximum  financial assistance of Rs. 5 lakh in one instalment.  For the seed stage, a selected startup shall be eligible for a maximum financial assistance of Rs. 25 lakh in two instalments of 50% and 50% based on the recommendation given by the SIC Committee. Trainings, Technical and financial assistance is provided to startups to launch their products, services, business platforms, etc, into the market and facilitate  them  to  scale  up  their  products  and  operations  to  attain  business viability. More than 5000 Agri-Startups have been trained by KPs and R-ABIs under  this  programme  during  FY  2019-20  to  2024-25.  So  far,  1943  AgriStartups have been supported with technical and financial assistance under this programme during FY 2019-20 to 2024-25, including 448 women-led startups. The funding support of Rs. 146.38  crore  grants-in-aid  has  been released  in installments for funding to these 1943 agri-Startups to the respective KPs & RABIs.

- II. Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme. States have been provided flexibility and autonomy for selection, planning approval, and execution of projects/programmes under the scheme as  per their need, priorities, and agro-climate requirements. The funds are released to the State Government.
- III. In  order  to  promote  use  of  drones  in  agriculture,  under  SMAM,  financial assistance @ 100% of the cost of drone up to a maximum of Rs. 10 lakhs per drone is provided for its purchase and demonstration on the farmers' fields by the  institutes  under  Indian  Council  of  Agricultural  Research  (ICAR),  Farm Machinery Training & Testing Institutes, Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), State Agriculture Universities (SAUs), State and other Central Government Agricultural Institutions/Departments and Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) of Government of India engaged in agricultural activities. The Farmers Producers Organizations (FPOs) are provided grants up to 75% of the cost of Kisan Drone for its demonstrations on the farmers' fields. In order to make available drone services  to  farmers  on  rental  basis,  financial  assistance  @  40%  up  to  a maximum of Rs. 4.00 lakhs are provided for purchase of drones by CHCs under Cooperative Society  of Farmers, FPOs and Rural entrepreneurs. Agriculture graduates establishing CHCs are eligible to receive financial assistance @ 50% of the cost of drone up to a maximum of Rs.5.00 lakhs per drone. For purchase of  drones  on individual ownership basis, the Small and Marginal, Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe, Women and North Eastern State farmers are provided financial assistance @ 50% of the cost up to a maximum of Rs. 5.00 lakhs and other farmers @ 40% up to a maximum of Rs. 4.00 lakhs per drone.

Further,  Sub  Mission  on  Agricultural  Mechanization  (SMAM)  is  being implemented w.e.f 2014-15 through States/UTS Governments. SMAM is now being implemented under the umbrella of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Rashtriya  Krishi  Vikas  Yojana  (RKVY).  The  scheme  aims   at  'reaching  the unreached' by bringing to the  small and marginal farmers in the core including women farmers and giving the benefits of  farm mechanization, by Promoting 'Custom  Hiring  Centers'  ,  creating  hubs  for  hi-tech  &  high  value  farm equipments, distribution of various agricultural equipments, creating awareness among stakeholders through demonstration and capacity building activities.

The  Government  has  established  four  number  of  Farm  Machinery Training  and  Testing  Institutes  at  Budni  (Madhya  Pradesh,  Hisar  (Haryana), Garladinne  (Andhra  Pradesh)  and  Biswanath  Chariali  (Assam)  under  the administrative control of Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. These institutes are imparting training to Farmers including women farmers/Technicians/ Engineers/ Unemployed Youths/ Machinery

Manufacturers, etc. under various training programmes on latest technology of farm mechanization including kisan drones.

- IV. The Government has approved 'Namo Drone Didi' as Central Sector Scheme for providing 15,000 drones to the Women Self Help Groups (SHGs) with an outlay of Rs. 1261 Crores for the period from 2023-24 to 2025-26. The major objectives of the scheme is to promote advance technology in agriculture for improved efficiency, enhanced crop yield & reduced cost of operation and to empower SHGs  as  drone  service  providers  for  increasing  their  income  and providing  livelihood  support  to  them.  Under  this  scheme,  Central  Financial Assistance (CFA) @ 80% of the cost of drone package up to a maximum of Rs. 8.00  Lakhs  is  provided  to  the  selected  women  SHGs.  15  days  drone  pilot training for one of the members of SHGs and 5 days drone assistant training to other members/family member of SHGs is provided as a part of drone package. Lead Fertilizer Companies (LFCs) have distributed 1094 drones to drone didis of SHGs in 2023-24 using their internal resources. Out of these 1094 drones, 500 drones have been distributed under the Namo Drone Didi Scheme. The State-wise distribution of 1094 drones is attached at Annexure-I.
- V. Department  of  Agriculture  &  Farmers  Welfare  is  implementing  the  Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) in the Country from 201516. PDMC focuses on enhancing water use efficiency at the farm level through Micro-Irrigation,  namely  Drip  and  Sprinkler  Irrigation  Systems.    The  Micro Irrigation  helps  in  water  saving  as  well  as  reducing  fertilizer  usage  through fertigation, labour expenses, other input costs and overall income enhancement of farmers.  The Government provides financial assistance @ 55% for small and marginal farmers and @ 45% for other farmers for the installation of Drip and Sprinkler systems under the PDMC.
- VI. Pradhan  Mantri  Fasal  Bima  Yojana  (PMFBY)  envisages  use  of  improved technology. Accordingly,  the National  Crop  Insurance  Portal  (NCIP)  and  the 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  coverage  information,  claims  etc.  Government  has  taken various steps to strengthen implementation of the  scheme, leveraging technology  in  implementation  of  the  scheme,  capturing  of  yield  data/Crop Cutting.
- VII. The Government has approved the Digital Agriculture Mission, which envisages the  creation  of  a  Digital  Public  Infrastructure  (DPI)  for  Agriculture,  such  as AgriStack, Krishi Decision Support System, and a comprehensive Soil Fertility & Profile Map to enable a robust digital agriculture ecosystem in the country. This, in turn, would drive innovative farmer-centric digital solutions and make reliable crop-related information available to all farmers on time. The AgriStack DPI consists of three foundational registries or databases associated with the agriculture sector, i.e., Geo-Referenced Village Maps, Crop Sown Registry, and the Farmers Registry, all created and maintained by the State Governments/ Union Territories. The government is providing technical and financial support to all the states/UTs to implement this DPI, including the state of Tamil Nadu.
- VIII. Under the National e-Governance Plan in Agriculture (NeGPA) component of the  Digital  Agriculture  Mission,  funding  is  given  to  the  States/UTs  for  Digital Agriculture Projects using emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), Internet of Things (IoT) sensor-based systems, etc.
- IX. 'Kisan e-Mitra' is a voice-based AI-powered chatbot developed to assist farmers with responses to their queries on the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme. This solution  supports  11  regional  languages  and  is  evolving  to  assist  with  other government programs. At present, it handles over 20,000 farmer queries daily and so far, more than 95 lakh queries have been answered.
- X. AI based, National Pest Surveillance System, for tackling the loss of produce due  to  climate  change,  utilizes  AI  and  Machine  Learning  to  detect  pest infestation in crops, enabling timely intervention for healthier crops. This tool, currently  used  by  over  10,000  extension  workers,  allows  farmers  to  capture images of pests to help them mitigate pest attacks and reduce crop losses. At present, it supports 61 crops and over 400 pests combinations.
- XI. AI based analytics using field photographs for crop health assessment and crop health monitoring using Satellite, weather & soil moisture datasets for Rice and Wheat crops.

(d): The total funds allocated and disbursed to Tamil Nadu under the Digital Agriculture Mission and Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM),  since 2019, year-wise, are given at Annexure -II.

(e): Department is partnering/collaborating with the various institutions across the country for the development of usable, scalable solutions. Some of the collaborations are given below:

- I. In PMFBY, Yield Estimation System based on Technology (YESTECH), Tamil Nadu Agriculture  University  (TNAU)  has  been  identified  as  the  Mentor  Agency  for Technology Rollout (MITR) and Technology Implementation Partner (TIP).
- II. Mahalnobis National Crop Forecast Centre (MCFC) has collaborated with Space Application Centre (SAC) for Drought monitoring, Semi-physical model development for crop yield estimation, with the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) for flood monitoring, Satellite data access and soil moisture products and with  the  Indian  Council  of  Agricultural  Research  (ICAR)  -Indian  Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) for Crop simulation model-based crop yield estimation.
- III. IIT  Ropar  has  been  declared  as  a  Centre  of  Excellence  for  the  Ministry  of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare.
- IV. Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) has been identified as a Partner Institute to execute the soil survey & mapping at 1:10,000 scale to execute the National Soil mapping Programme (NSMP), 1:10K in the allocated area.
- V. Further,  the  Government  of  Tamil  Nadu  has  collaborated  with  Tamil  Nadu Agricultural  University  (TNAU)  for  biotechnology,  climate-smart  practices,  and digital  advisory systems. Also, Tamil Nadu has a collaboration with the National Informatics  Centre  and  Tamil  Nadu  e-Governance  Agency  (TNeGA)  for  the integration  of  land  records,  crop  data,  and  farmer  profiles  under  the  Digital Agriculture Mission.

## State-wise number of drones distributed to SHGs by the LFCs in 2023-24 and the members of SHGs given drone pilot training

| S. No.   | State Name       |   No of Drones distributed |   No. of members of SHGs given drone pilot training |
|----------|------------------|----------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------|
| 1        | Andhra Pradesh   |                        108 |                                                 108 |
| 2        | Assam            |                         28 |                                                  28 |
| 3        | Bihar            |                         32 |                                                  32 |
| 4        | Chhattisgarh     |                         15 |                                                  15 |
| 5        | Goa              |                          1 |                                                   1 |
| 6        | Gujarat          |                         58 |                                                  58 |
| 7        | Haryana          |                        102 |                                                 102 |
| 8        | Himachal Pradesh |                          4 |                                                   4 |
| 9        | J&K              |                          2 |                                                   2 |
| 10       | Jharkhand        |                         15 |                                                  15 |
| 11       | Karnataka        |                        145 |                                                 145 |
| 12       | Kerala           |                         51 |                                                  51 |
| 13       | Madhya Pradesh   |                         89 |                                                  89 |
| 14       | Maharashtra      |                         60 |                                                  60 |
| 15       | Odisha           |                         16 |                                                  16 |
| 16       | Punjab           |                         57 |                                                  57 |
| 17       | Rajasthan        |                         40 |                                                  40 |
| 18       | Tamil Nadu       |                         44 |                                                  44 |
| 19       | Telangana        |                         81 |                                                  81 |
| 20       | Uttar Pradesh    |                        128 |                                                 128 |
| 21       | Uttarakhand      |                          3 |                                                   3 |
| 22       | West Bengal      |                         15 |                                                  15 |
|          | Total            |                       1094 |                                                1094 |

| Year    | Year      | Digital Agriculture Mission   | Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM)   |
|---------|-----------|-------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------|
| 2019-20 | Allocated | -                             | 70                                                 |
| 2019-20 | Released  | 3.55                          | 70                                                 |
| 2020-21 | Allocated | -                             | 86.94                                              |
| 2020-21 | Released  | -                             | 86.94                                              |
| 2021-22 | Allocated | -                             | 22.27                                              |
| 2021-22 | Released  | 1.1249                        | 22.27                                              |
| 2022-23 | Allocated | -                             | 75                                                 |
| 2022-23 | Released  | 0.4821                        | 75                                                 |
| 2023-24 | Allocated | -                             | 162                                                |
| 2023-24 | Released  | 16.6388                       | 162                                                |
| 2024-25 | Allocated | 47.09                         | 123                                                |
| 2024-25 | Released  | 13.64                         | -                                                  |
| 2025-26 | Allocated | 29.93                         | 61.50                                              |
| 2025-26 | Released  | 15.98                         | -                                                  |

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