The Union Cabinet has greenlit seven major agricultural schemes, with a combined budget of nearly Rs 14,000 crore, aimed at revolutionizing India’s agriculture sector. These initiatives, announced after a Cabinet meeting led by PM Modi, include substantial investments in digital agriculture, crop science, sustainable farming practices, and agricultural education.
The Union Cabinet has approved seven major agricultural schemes with a total budget of around Rs 14,000 crore. Following a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced new schemes with a total funding of over Rs 13,960 crore.
The schemes include Rs 2,817 crore for the Digital Agriculture Mission. The Digital Agriculture Mission aims to build digital public infrastructure (DPI) for farmers. It will feature an Agri-Stack, an open-source digital platform that provides data to improve agricultural practices and increase farm incomes, and a Krishi Decision Support System, which will serve as an information hub for farmers. The mission will develop digital tools such as a farmers’ registry, village land maps, and a crop sown registry. It will also use technology, including AI and Big Data, to offer services like soil profiling, crop yield modeling, and weather monitoring, enhancing farmers’ livelihoods and providing better access to markets and resources.
The government has approved the Crop Science for Food and Nutritional Security scheme allocating Rs 3,979 crore for the initiative. The crop science for food and nutritional security programmes has six pillars that include research and education, plant genetic resource management, genetic improvement for food and fodder crop, pulse and oilseed crop improvement, research on insects, microbes, pollinators, and improvement of commercial crops.
In addition, Rs 2,291 crore has been allocated to improve agricultural education and management, while Rs 1,702 crore will go towards promoting sustainable livestock health and production. Also Rs 860 crore is set aside for sustainable horticulture development. The other approved schemes include Rs 1,202 crore to strengthen Krishi Vigyan Kendras and Rs 1,115 crore for Natural Resource Management.
India’s economy grew by 6.7% in the June quarter, the slowest rate in five quarters, according to official data. The agriculture sector grew by 2% in the April-June quarter of this fiscal year, a decrease from 3.7% in the same quarter the previous year.
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