Q.Technology is a powerful tool for empowering the ‘Annadatas’ (farmers) and transforming Indian agriculture. Illustrate this statement by discussing the key technological initiatives undertaken by the government.
Agriculture continues to be the backbone of India’s economy, employing nearly half of the workforce and ensuring food security for over 1.4 billion people. However, the sector faces challenges of low productivity, fragmented holdings, climate vulnerability, and market inefficiencies. In this context, technology has emerged as a powerful enabler to empower the Annadatas—India’s farmers—by modernising cultivation practices, improving resource efficiency, enhancing market access, and ensuring resilience against climate change.
Technology is a powerful tool for empowering the ‘Annadatas’ and transforming Indian agriculture
- Role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT)
- To modernize agriculture and improve farmer welfare, AI and IoT are being widely adopted. They help increase yields, encourage sustainable practices, and address challenges related to weather, pests, and market access.
- Applications of AI and IoT include precision farming, climate monitoring, smart greenhouses, livestock tracking, and drone-assisted farming.
- Kisan e-Mitra: This AI-powered, voice-based chatbot addresses farmer queries in 11 Indian languages on schemes like PM-KISAN, Kisan Credit Card, and PM Fasal Bima Yojana.
- It handles over 20,000 queries daily, democratizing access to information and bridging the technological and linguistic divide.
- National Pest Surveillance System (NPSS): Leveraging AI and ML, NPSS enables early detection of pests and diseases.
- Farmers can upload crop images for instant analysis, leading to timely advisories.
- Covering 61 crops and 400+ pests, it has issued over 10,000 pest management advisories, protecting yields from climate-related risks.
- Satellite-based Crop Mapping & IoT Devices: AI-powered analytics help monitor crop growth with weather patterns, enabling accurate forecasting and better decision-making at the farm level.
- IIT Ropar – Technology and Innovation Foundation is developing IoT-based devices and sensors aimed at enhancing saffron cultivation and streamlining its supply chain across India.
- Leveraging Space Technology for Data-Driven Decisions:
- FASAL Project: The Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre (MNCFC), using ISRO’s satellite data, generates multiple in-season forecasts for major crops. This helps in estimating crop area, assessing health, and predicting production, which is vital for policy planning and market stability.
- Real-time Drought Monitoring: Geoportals developed with Space Applications Centre (SAC), ISRO provide live updates on rainfall, soil moisture, crop condition, water storages etc.
- Support to PM Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY): Under PMFBY, space technology is being leveraged for several operational applications, including smart sampling for crop cutting experiments (CCEs), yield estimation, and dispute resolution related to area and yield.
- Krishi Decision Support System (Krishi-DSS): A cloud-based geospatial platform integrating satellite images, weather, soil, and water data to guide farmers and policymakers.
- Drones as Game-Changers in Farm Operations:
- Drones are emerging as game changers in agriculture, helping with spraying, monitoring, and precision farming. The government has introduced several initiatives to promote their adoption:
- Namo Drone Didi Scheme: This scheme aims to provide 15,000 drones to Women Self Help Groups (SHGs) with 80% financial assistance. It will promote advanced technology for spraying and monitoring
- Drone technology significantly enhances the precise application of pesticides and fertilizers, transforming traditional agricultural practices. Equipped with advanced GPS and sensor technology, drones can be programmed to follow precise flight paths over fields, ensuring even and targeted application. This precision reduces the overuse of chemicals, minimizing environmental impact and lowering costs for farmers.
- PM-Kisan Drone Initiative : Subsidies for using drones in spraying pesticides, nutrients, and monitoring crop health.
- SVAMITVA Scheme: Drones are being utilized for land mapping, helping farmers obtain legal property ownership documents.
- As of July 2025, drone surveys have been completed in 3.23 lakh villages under the SVAMITVA Scheme.
- This not only reduces disputes but also facilitates access to bank loans, thereby improving farmers’ prosperity.
- ICT enabling Empowerment:
- JAM Trinity
- The Jan Dhan–Aadhaar–Mobile (JAM) Trinity ensures transparent and leak-proof subsidy transfers directly into farmers’ bank accounts.
- This system has eliminated middlemen and corruption, empowering farmers economically.
- For instance, on 2 August 2025, honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the 20th instalment of PM-KISAN, transferring ₹20,500 crore directly to the accounts of 9.7 crore farmers.
- e-NAM (National Agriculture Market):
- National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) is a virtual platform integrating physical wholesale mandis/ markets of different States/ Union Territories (UTs) to facilitate online trading of agricultural commodities through transparent price discovery method to enable farmers to realize better remunerative prices for their produce.
- Kisan Call Centres & mKisan Portal: ICT-based advisories for farmers
- mKisan portal is a platform which provides web-based mobile advisory to farmers with the technological backstopping from Research Institutes and Agricultural Universities supporting farmers.
- The mKisan SMS Portal enables all Central and State government organizations in agriculture and allied sectors to provide information/services/advisories to farmers by SMS in their language, preference of agricultural practices and location
- The main aim of Kisan Call Center is to answer farmers’ queries on a telephone call in their own dialect.
Conclusion
The concerted push for technological infusion—from AI and drones to space tech and digital infrastructure—is fundamentally reshaping Indian agriculture. These initiatives are moving beyond being mere tools and are becoming everyday allies for farmers. By enhancing efficiency, reducing risks, and ensuring direct economic benefits, technology is truly empowering the ‘Annadatas,’ thereby paving the way for a self-reliant, efficient, and future-ready agrarian India.
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