Digital gets pride of place in ₹14,000-crore agro, food safety schemes

New Delhi: The Union Cabinet Monday approved seven schemes totalling nearly ₹13,966 crore, aimed at improving farmer incomes through technological interventions and revamping existing farming practices.

Key among them was the Digital Agriculture Mission with an outlay of ₹2,817 crore to build digital public infrastructure (DPI) for farmers. An Agri-Stack will form the data-rooted bedrock of the mission, and the Krishi Decision Support System will serve as an information platform for farmers. Agri Stack is an open-source digital infrastructure to improve agriculture by providing access to data to stakeholders, and enable better farm incomes.

The mission will develop digital tools such as a farmers' registry, village land maps, and a crop sown registry, while the support system will provide geospatial data, monitor droughts and floods, offer weather and satellite data, track groundwater and water availability, and model crop yield and insurance.

DPI in agriculture will use technology to enhance farmers' lives by offering soil profiling, digital crop estimation, digital yield modelling and access to crop loans. It will also incorporate artificial intelligence AI and Big Data, facilitate connections with buyers, and deliver farming knowledge over mobile phones.

India's economy grew at 6.7% in the June quarter, the slowest pace in five quarters, official data released on Friday showed. The agriculture sector grew 2% in the April-June quarter of the current fiscal year, down from 3.7% a year earlier.

After a good monsoon, the agriculture sector is expected to report good numbers as the country has received good rainfall, Reserve Bank of India governor Shaktikanta Das said at an event later.

Other schemes

On Monday, the government also approved the Crop Science for Food and Nutritional Security scheme which will cost ₹3,979 crore, focusing on research and development in plant genetics, improvements in food and fodder crops, pulses, oilseeds and commercial crops.

The Strengthening Agriculture Education and Management scheme received ₹2,291 crore to modernize agricultural research and education, following the New Education Policy 2020. Sustainable Livestock Health and Production was allocated ₹1,702 crore for enhancing animal health management, veterinary education and dairy production.

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The Sustainable Development of Horticulture scheme, with a budget of ₹860 crore, aims to support horticultural growth. Strengthening Krishi Vigyan Kendra received ₹1,202 crore to enhance agricultural extension services.

Lastly, Natural Resource Management was allotted ₹1,115 crore to manage and conserve natural resources.

Semiconductor testing

Union Cabinet also approved the proposal for a semiconductor testing unit by Kaynes Semicon in Gujarat's Sanand with an investment of ₹3,307 crore under the Indian Semiconductor Mission. The unit will make 6.3 million chips a day, that will be used across industrial, automotive, electric vehicles, consumer electronics and telecom sectors.

Ashwini Vaishnaw, minister of electronics and information technology, railways and information and broadcasting, said the country’s first assembled and tested chip from Micron’s Sanand ATMP unit is expected to come out by middle of next year. The project kicked off towards the end of last year.

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He added that the chip fabrication unit by Tata Electronics in Dholera was also progressing well, with the design work being completed and technology agreements were being discussed. “The land is allocated, geotechnical investigations are done,” he said, adding that the multiplier effect of the plants will lead to employment in electronics manufacturing and growth of the sector.

"With upcoming initiatives from Tata, Micron, Renesas, Kaynes, and others, we are gaining momentum in developing a comprehensive semiconductor ecosystem in India. This will not only support the local electronics industry but also meet the anticipated global semiconductor demand, projected to reach $1 trillion by 2030," said Ashok Chandak, president of India Electronics and Semiconductor Association.

"The establishment of this advanced facility will greatly contribute to India's ambitions of becoming a self-reliant, globally competitive hub for semiconductor manufacturing," said Pankaj Mohindroo, chairman of the Indian Cellular and Electronics Association.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved a new 309 km railway line between Manmad, Maharashtra and Indore in Madhya Pradesh, with an outlay of ₹18,036 crore, and will be completed by 2028-29. The line will include construction of 30 new stations enhancing connectivity to about 1,000 villages covering 30 lakh people. Considered as an essential route for transportation of commodities such as agriculture products, fertilizer, containers, iron ore, steel and cement, the new line is also expected to promote tourism in the region.

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