Some initiatives for ease of agriculture

Why is in news? Union Finance Minister, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman and Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar to inaugurate a series of transformative initiatives, aimed at revolutionizing agriculture in the country

Union Finance Minister and Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare will inaugurate a series of transformative initiatives, focusing on agri-credit (KCC & MISS) and crop insurance (PMFBY/RWBCIS), keeping the welfare of farmers at their core.

Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare is launching these initiatives for revolutionizing agriculture in India and aims to amplify financial inclusion, streamline data utilization, harness technology and enhance the livelihoods of the agricultural community.

The launch event signifies the Indian government's commitment to innovation and efficient service delivery in agriculture, with a focus onimproving farmers' livelihoods and fostering agricultural transformation.

The event symbolizes Government of India’s dedication to farmers' prosperity and ensuring innovation, infusion of technology and objectivity in delivering the efficient services to them.

These efforts and innovations will help in furthering the goal of agricultural transformation and sustainable economic growth for farming community of the country as a whole.

The event embodies the Government of India’s commitment to innovation and efficient service delivery for agriculture, aiming to sustain and double farmers' income, through initiatives.

Initiative Highlights:

1. Kisan Rin Portal (KRP)

The Kisan Rin Portal (KRP), developed in collaboration with multiple government departments, is poised to revolutionize access to credit services under the Kisan Credit Card (KCC).

This digital platform offers a comprehensive view of farmer data, loan disbursement specifics, interest subvention claims, and scheme utilization progress, fostering seamless integration with banks for more focused and efficient agriculture credit.

2.Ghar-Ghar KCC Abhiyaan: Door to Door KCC Campaign

The event marks the beginning of the "Ghar Ghar KCC Abhiyaan," an ambitious campaign to extend the benefits of the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) Scheme to every farmer across India.

This campaign aims to achieve universal financial inclusion, ensuring that every farmer has unhindered access to credit facilities that drive their agricultural pursuits.

This campaign will play a pivotal role in reaching out to non-KCC account holder PM KISAN beneficiaries and fostering the saturation of KCC Accounts among eligible PM Kisan beneficiary farmers.

Total number of operative KCC Accounts as on March 2023 are 7.35 Crores with total sanctioned limit of Rs. 8.85 lakh crores.

3. Launch of WINDS Manual

The WINDS Manual, set to be unveiled during the event, extends the impact of the Weather Information Network Data Systems (WINDS) initiative.

The WINDS system, an instrumental innovation, leverages advanced weather data analytics to provide stakeholders with actionable insights on weather.

This comprehensive manual also provides stakeholders with an in-depth understanding of the portal's functionalities, data interpretation, and effective utilization, empowering farmers, policymakers, and various agricultural entities to make well-informed choices.

It also caters to parametric crop insurance scheme of DA&FW in addition to non-scheme parametric insurance programmes for crop risk mitigation and disaster risk reduction and mitigation being run by the Insurance industry.

It serves as a guide to understand the processes to be undertaken by the States & UTs for establishing and integrating with the WINDS platform, maintaining transparent and objective data observation and transmission and offering practical insights into leveraging weather data for improved crop management, resource allocation, and risk mitigation.