Lok Sabha Question No. 1302 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-02-11
Subject: Drought and Floods due to Climate Change
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Shri Virendra Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1302

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 11 TH  FEBRUARY, 2025

## DROUGHT AND FLOODS DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE

1302.   SHRI VIRENDRA SINGH:

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

(a) whether the Government is working on any scheme to provide relief to a large number of farmers are affected by drought and floods due to climate change; and

- (b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

क ृ िष एवं िकसान कʞाण राǛ मंũी (SHRI RAMNATH THAKUR)

(a)  &  (b)  :  The  primary  responsibility  for  disaster  management  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 which includes  drought  and  flood,  from  the  State  Disaster  Response  Fund  (SDRF),  already placed at its disposal, in accordance with approved items and norms of Government of India. 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. The financial assistance provided under SDRF and NDRF is by way of relief and not for compensation.

Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (DA&FW) is implementing Rainfed Area  Development  (RAD)  across  the  country  from  2014-15.  RAD  as  a  component  of National  Mission  for  Sustainable  Agriculture  (NMSA)  focuses  on  Integrated  Farming System  (IFS)  for  enhancing  productivity  and  minimizing  risks  associated  with  climatic variability. 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.

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) under Ministry of Agriculture and  Farmers  Welfare,  Government  of  India  has  launched  a  flagship  network  project namely National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA). The project aims to study the impact of climate change on agriculture including crops, livestock, horticulture and  fisheries  and  to  develop  and  promote  climate  resilient  technologies  in  agriculture which will address vulnerable areas of the country and the outputs of the project help the districts and regions prone to extreme weather conditions like droughts, floods, frost, heat waves, etc. to cope with such extremes.

In addition, the Government of India has introduced yield based 'Pradhan Mantri Fasal  Bima  Yojana'  (PMFBY)  and  weather  based  'Restructured  Weather  Based  Crop Insurance Scheme' (WBCIS) from Kharif 2016  season to provide financial support to the farmers  suffering  crop  loss/damage  arising  out  of  natural  calamities,  adverse  weather incidence and to stabilize the income of the farmers. Comprehensive risk insurance is provided  under  the  scheme  from  pre-harvesting  to  post-harvest  losses.  Under  this Scheme, the claims are paid to only those farmers who have insured their crops and paid their share of premium under any of the notified crop insurance scheme in the notified area/crop by the State Government.

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