Bharat-VISTAAR is a multilingual AI platform aiming to transform Indian agriculture by combining AgriStack farmer data with scientific inputs from ICAR. It promises personalized advisories and higher incomes, but its impact depends on bridging the digital divide, safeguarding data privacy, and strengthening last-mile extension support.
Click to View MoreThe Economic Survey 2025–26 flags a conflict between energy and food security as ethanol incentives drive maize expansion at the cost of pulses and oilseeds. This shift risks higher imports and price volatility, prompting calls to prioritise second-generation biofuels and raise food crop productivity.
Click to View MoreGroundwater crisis, driven by over-extraction, pollution, and weak governance, threatens food and water security. While Atal Bhujal Yojana and NAQUIM signal a demand-side shift, long-term sustainability needs integrated governance, tech adoption, and rationalised farm-energy subsidies, as urged by the Mihir Shah Committee.
Click to View MoreIndian farm subsidies are fiscally unsustainable, ecologically harmful, and distortionary, favoring water-intensive crops and larger farmers. The solution lies in rationalisation, not removal: shift to DBT and redirect savings toward R&D, infrastructure, and climate-smart agriculture to build a resilient, competitive, and inclusive farm sector.
Click to View MoreWinter heatwaves, driven by jet-stream weakening, atmospheric blocking, and global warming, are emerging risks for India. They threaten rabi crops, ecosystems, and winter tourism. Despite steps under the National Action Plan on Climate Change, India needs stronger mitigation, better early warnings, and adaptive water and farm management to respond effectively.
Click to View MoreThe PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (2025) aims to transform 100 low-performing agri-districts through convergence of 36 existing schemes across 11 ministries, backed by an annual outlay of ₹24,000 crore for six years. The scheme focuses on improving productivity, crop diversification, irrigation, post-harvest infrastructure, and credit access while integrating allied sectors like horticulture, fisheries, and animal husbandry. Implementation is driven by district-level planning, three-tier governance, NITI Aayog’s technical support, and a digital dashboard with 117 KPIs. Targeted to benefit 1.7 crore farmers, PMDDKY seeks to create resilient, sustainable, and market-oriented agricultural ecosystems aligned with Atmanirbhar Bharat.
Click to View MoreClimate change is increasingly affecting India’s commercial crops through rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, soil degradation, and higher pest incidence. Crops like tea, coffee, rice, wheat, and sugarcane face reduced yields and quality, threatening farmer livelihoods and export competitiveness. Government initiatives such as the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, and programs by the Tea and Coffee Boards aim to enhance climate resilience through climate-smart varieties, water management, pest control, and insurance. Adoption of sustainable practices, crop diversification, and technology integration are essential for safeguarding productivity and ensuring long-term agricultural sustainability.
Click to View MoreIndia’s dairy sector, anchored by initiatives like Operation Flood, Rashtriya Gokul Mission, NAIP, and White Revolution 2.0, has transformed the country into the world’s largest milk producer. It supports over 80 million farmers, empowers women through cooperatives, ensures nutritional security, and drives rural livelihoods. Ongoing reforms in infrastructure, breeding, sustainability, and GST rationalization aim to enhance productivity, promote inclusive growth, and strengthen India’s global competitiveness in dairy.
Click to View MoreMadhya Pradesh has become India’s new stubble burning hotspot for a second year, accounting for nearly half of crop fire cases across northern states. Sheopur tops the national list, with seven MP districts in the worst ten, signaling a shift from Punjab-Haryana and demanding region-specific residue management.
Click to View MoreThe Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) aims to provide financial protection to farmers against crop losses due to natural calamities, pests, and diseases. However, in Rajasthan, farmers have protested over delayed and arbitrary claim settlements, citing collusion between insurance companies and officials. Nearly ₹947 crore in claims remain unpaid, and issues such as poor field verification, lack of transparency, and reduced budget allocations have weakened trust in the scheme. Recent reforms, including digital monitoring through the National Crop Insurance Portal and strict timelines for claim settlement, seek to improve efficiency, accountability, and farmer confidence in PMFBY.
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Indian scientists have created an indigenous, IP-free gene-editing tool using TnpB proteins, offering a cheaper alternative to CRISPR-Cas9. It enables precise edits without foreign genes, supporting resilient, nutrient-rich crops. Despite eased rules for SDN-1/2 crops, regulatory gaps, ethics, and public distrust after the GM Mustard debate remain major hurdles.
Click to View MoreThe Draft Seeds Bill, 2025 replaces the 1966 Act, makes seed registration mandatory, adds a traceability portal, and sets penalties up to ₹30 lakh while easing minor offences. Farmer groups oppose it, citing a pro-corporate tilt, weak compensation provisions, and excessive central control that affects farmer rights.
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