Lok Sabha Question No. 1332 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-03
Subject: Attracting New Generation towards Agriculture
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. 1332

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 03 RD  DECEMBER, 2024

## ATTRACTING NEW GENERATION TOWARDS AGRICULTURE

## †1332. SHRI VIRENDRA SINGH:

Will the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare कृ ͪष एवं ͩकसान कãयाण मंğी be pleased to state:

- (a) the strategy of the Government to attract the new generation towards agriculture as our country  is  agriculture  based  and  the  interest  of  new  generation  towards  agriculture  is declining with the land holdings falling below 10 acres and the consequent decline of farmers incomes;

(b) whether any plan is in place to provide insurance benefits against crop losses due to natural calamities as per the individual land holding of each farmer instead group insurance according to the areas under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Bima Yojana;

(c)  the  details  of  scheme  introduced  by  the  Government  to  provide  benefit  to  the  tenant farmers of Chandauli district of Uttar Pradesh; and

(d)  the  insurance  schemes  implemented  by  the  Government  to  compensate for  the  crop losses caused due to natural calamities?

## ANSWER

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

- (a): To attract rural youth towards agriculture, Government initiated a project on 'Attracting and Retaining Youth in Agriculture' (ARYA) which is operational in 100 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs).

Under National Agricultural Higher Education Project (NAHEP), a mega network project of  the  Indian  Council  of  Agricultural  Research  (ICAR)  co-funded  equally  by  the  Central Government  and  World  Bank,  efforts  were  made  to  encourage  agricultural  education  in schools under an initiative 'Mainstreaming Agricultural Curriculum in Education' (MACE) in School. During 2022-2024, workshops, brainstorming and training programs were conducted for  ICAR  officials/faculty  and  senior  management  and  teachers  from  National  Council  of Educational  Research  &  Training  (NCERT),  State  Council  of  Educational  Research  & Training (SCERT) and Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to develop suitable policy, framework and pedagogy towards mainstreaming of agricultural education in school curriculum. Films (3) have been developed in Hindi and English to attract youth in agriculture by showcasing all the opportunities in the agriculture domain.

In addition to above, Government has adopted and implemented the number of policies, reforms,  developmental  programmes  for  agriculture  sector  in  the  country  for  farmers including young farmers such as:

1.  Income support to farmers through PM KISAN,
2.  Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY),
3. Institutional credit for agriculture sector,
4.  Fixing of Minimum Support Price (MSP) at one-and-a half times the cost of production,
5.  Promotion of organic farming in the country,
6.  Per Drop More Crop,
7.  Micro Irrigation Fund,
8.  Promotion of Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs),
9.  National Beekeeping and Honey Mission (NBHM),
10.  Agricultural Mechanization,
11.  Providing Soil Health Cards to farmers,
12.  Setting up of National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) extension Platform,
13.  Launch of the National Mission for Edible Oils - Oil Palm,
14.  Agri Infrastructure Fund (AIF),
15.  Improvement in farm produce logistics, Introduction of Kisan Rail,
16.  Mission  for  Integrated  Development  of  Horticulture  (MIDH)  -  Cluster  Development Programme,
17.  Creation of a Start-up Eco system in agriculture and allied sector,
18.  Achievement in Export of Agri. and Allied Agri- Commodities,
19.  Central sector Scheme Namo Drone Didi

(b):  Pradhan  Mantri  Fasal  Bima  Yojana  (PMFBY)  &  Restructured  Weather  Based  Crop Insurance  Scheme  (RWBCIS)  envisages  indemnification  of  crop  losses  due  to  adverse climatic/weather conditions against the predefined guaranteed yield and weather triggers.

Financial liability on premium subsidy to farmers is shared by the Central and State Government on 50:50 basis except in North Eastern States, where it is 90 : 10 with effect from Kharif 2020 season.   It is a demand driven scheme and also voluntary for the States since inception and for all farmers w.e.f. Kharif 2020.

Further, PMFBY provides for comprehensive risk insurance against crop damage from pre-sowing  to  post-harvest  for  food  crops  (cereals,  millets  and  pulses),  oilseeds  and commercial horticultural crops notified by the concerned State Government. The scheme not only safeguards against wide spread yield loss due to all non-preventable natural risks affected  yield  viz.    flood,  inundation,  landslide,  drought,  dry  spells,  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.      Further,  immediate  relief  is  also  provided  to insured farmers in case of adverse seasonal conditions during the crop season due to which expected yield during the season is likely to be less than 50% of the Threshold Yield in the concerned insurance unit.

It is important to state here, that new age technologies have been infused in PMFBY to make this scheme more transparent and effective to attract more and more farmers under the scheme.  The technical interventions in the scheme are as under:

- a. YES-Tech (Yield Estimation based on Technology)is a technology based yield estimation mechanism for Crop Loss assessment and Yield estimation assisted by data  inputs  from  such  as  Remote  Sensing  indices,  Weather  indices,  crop phenological information, soil types etc. using approved Technologies/Approaches.
- b. WINDS  (Weather  Information  Network  &  Data  System)is  a  network  of Automatic Weather Stations & Rain Gauges at Taluk/Block and Gram Panchayat level to create a strong database of hyper-local weather data for the different Govt. and other entities to use for all farmer and farming oriented services.
- c. Digi-Claim-Payment Module -A transparent channel of visibility of quantum of eligible  claims,  claims  paid  by  the  Insurance  Company  and  actual  claims transferred to beneficiary farmers.
- d. AIDE (App for Intermediary Enrolment): A smart-phone App has been designed for enrolment of farmers at their door-steps through a large network of Insurance Intermediaries.  It  offers  a  completely  paper-less  and  cash-less  experience to  a farmer
- e. Krishi  Rakshak  Portal  &  Helpline :  A  pan-India  single  number  integrated grievance redressal mechanism having digital portal and a call center has been developed to enable farmers to lodge their grievances/concerns/queries.

(c ):  Agriculture being a State Subject, the State Governments take appropriate measures for development of agriculture in the State for all farmers including tenant farmers. However, Government of India supplements the efforts of States through appropriate policy measures and budgetary support and various schemes/ programmes.

The Government is implementing a 100% centrally funded Central Sector Scheme known as the Modified Interest Subvention Scheme (MISS) across PAN India. This scheme aims  to  provide  concessional  interest  rates  on  short-term  agricultural  loans  obtained  by farmers through Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) for their working capital requirements under this scheme providing adequate and timely credit support to all farmers including tenant farmers.

Under Modified Interest Subvention Scheme (MISS), funds are released to Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) for Settlement of claims received under the scheme from various Banks. As per master circular of RBI dated 04th July, 2018, under the KCC scheme, Oral lessees and Share croppers, Self Help Group or Joint Liability Groups of farmers including tenant farmers, share croppers are eligible for short term loans.

(d): The Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare is concerned with providing relief under NDRF to farmers who have lost their crops due to drought, hailstorm, pest attack and cold wave/frost. The State Governments are responsible for disbursement of funds to the affected farmers.

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