The Union Cabinet on Monday (September 2, 2024) approved the Digital Agriculture Mission along with a host of other agriculture-related decisions.
Announcing the approval, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw highlighted that that ₹ 2,817 crore Digital Agriculture Mission involves Agri Stack (farmers registry, village land maps registry, crop registry) and Krishi Decision Support System (geospatial data, drought/flood monitoring, weather/satellite data, groundwater/water availability data, modeling for crop yields insurence). It will also enable farms to get soil profile, digital crop estimation, digital yield modelling, connect for crop loan, and access to modern tech such as Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, etc.
Apart from the Digital Agriculture Mission, Mr. Vaishnaw also announced the Cabinet’s decision to approve outlays for Crop Science for Food and Nutritional Security, strengthening of Agri Education, Management, and Social Sciences, and sustainable livestock health and production.
Costing ₹3,979 crore, Crop Science for Food and Nutritional Security will involve research and education, plant genetic resource management, genetic improvement for food and fodder crop, pulse and oilseed crop improvement, improvement of commercial crop, etc
For ₹2,291 crore, under Indian Council of Agri Research, strengthening of Agri Education, Management, and Social Sciences will focus on modernising agri research and education, in line with New Education Policy 2020
Meanwhile, the cabinet has approved the expenditure of ₹1,702 crore for sustainable livestock health and production involving animal health management and veterinary education, dairy production, etc.
Apart from these, the cabinet has also approved the following schemes: Sustainable development of Horticulture costing ₹860 crore, Strengthening Krishi Vigyan Kendra for ₹ 1,202 crore, and Natural Resource Management costing ₹1,115 crore
These seven big programmes involve approximate expenditure of about ₹13,966 crore
