The Union Cabinet Committee, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, approved the Digital Agriculture Mission with an outlay of Rs. 2817 Crore, including the central share of Rs. 1940 Crore.
The Mission is designed to support digital agriculture initiatives, such as creating Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), implementing the Digital General Crop Estimation Survey (DGCES), and taking up other IT initiatives by the Central Government, State Governments, and Academic and Research Institutions.
India’s digital revolution has transformed governance and service delivery by creating digital identities, secured payments, and transactions. The Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for Agriculture aims to provide comprehensive and useful data on farmers comprising of authenticated demographic details, land holdings, and crops sown. It will include cultivators and tenant farmers, as per the policy of the State Government. The DPI for Agriculture forms the core of the Digital Agriculture Mission.
The three DPIs to be built under the Mission are Agristack, Krishi Decision Support System, and Soil Profile Mapping. These DPIs will enable farmer-centric digital services and make timely and reliable information available for the agriculture sector. AgriStack is a farmer-centric DPI that will enable efficient, easier, and faster services and scheme delivery to farmers. It consists of three foundational registries or databases in the agriculture sector: the Farmers’ Registry, Geo-referenced village maps, and the Crop Sown Registry, all created and maintained by the State Governments/Union Territories.
Under AgriStack, farmers will be given a digital identity (Farmer ID) similar to Aadhaar, which will be linked dynamically to the State’s land records, livestock ownership, crops sown, demographic details, family details, schemes and benefits availed, etc. Crops sown by farmers will be recorded through mobile-based ground surveys i.e., Digital Crop Survey to be conducted in each season.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is being signed between the Centre and State Governments to create and implement the DPI for Agriculture. 19 States have signed MoUs with the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India. The basic IT infrastructure for implementing AgriStack has been developed and tested on a pilot basis.
Mission Implementation in Agriculture
- Implementation at grassroots level, benefiting farmers.
- Leverages trustful data on farmers, farmlands, and crops.
- Uses modern digital technologies like data analytics, AI, and remote sensing for efficient and transparent service delivery.
Examples:
- The Digital Public Infrastructure for Agriculture enables efficient value chains for agricultural inputs and post-harvest processes.
- Farmers can digitally identify and authenticate themselves to access benefits and services.
- Government schemes and crop loans can be availed, agri-input suppliers and buyers can be connected, and personalized advisories can be accessed.
- Trustful data aids in efficient and transparent government schemes and services.
- Digital data on crop-sown area aids in accurate crop production estimation.
- Krishi-DSS information supports crop map generation, drought/flood monitoring, and yield assessment for crop insurance claims.
Get the Latest News Updates and Stay Informed with FELA NEWS!
