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In a significant stride towards addressing climate change and malnutrition, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research has developed 524 new varieties and hybrids of field crops and 167 of horticultural crops in 2024, stated Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, during a session in the Lok Sabha December 3, 2024.
These consist of 246 varieties of cereals, which include rice (126), wheat (22), maize (51) and small millets (21). As many as 167 varieties of horticultural crops developed include fruits (40), vegetables (70) and flowers (16).
The development of these crop varieties prioritised adaptation to climate change and enhanced nutritional value. As many as 455 varieties exhibit tolerance or resistance to various biotic and abiotic stresses. Among these, 92 varieties have been specifically bred for exceptional resilience to extreme abiotic challenges such as drought, floods, waterlogging, extreme heat, low temperatures, salinity and phosphorus deficiency.
Additionally, 32 varieties have been biofortified with improved nutritional qualities, addressing key dietary deficiencies.
The Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj launched the Gram Manchitra Application portal to increase awareness among people about the assets created in their Gram Panchayats (GP) and to plan for utilising the funds, stated Rajiv Ranjan Singh, the Minister of Panchayati Raj in the Lok Sabha December 3.
This innovative tool is designed to revolutionise spatial planning while fostering transparency and accountability in rural governance. The initiative has already achieved notable milestones, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, where its implementation is driving significant improvements in local development planning, he said.
Bhagirath Choudhary, Union minister of state for agriculture and farmers' welfare, acknowledged the challenges faced by arecanut farmers following the World Health Organization’s (WHO) classification of arecanut as carcinogenic and outlined ongoing efforts to address them. The classification was largely based on research focusing on mixtures like betel quid and gutka, which contain arecanut along with other ingredients.
He said that many of the research papers, cited by WHO, have methodological limitations, leading to inconclusive results. So, in response to the growing concerns, the government has planned an extensive study titled Evidence-Based Research on Arecanut and Human Health.
The study, set to be conducted by the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, will involve around 16 premier institutions, including the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology and the Indian Institute of Science, among others.
Hydro-meteorological disasters claimed at least 2,803 lives, affected 1.02 million hectares of crop area as of November 27, 2024, according to the provisional estimates presented by Nityanand Rai, the Union minister of state for home affairs in the Lok Sabha.
The ministry does not centrally maintain the data of damages due to any disasters including floods and landslides. The minister cited data received from the various state governments / Union territories.
A total of 12 inter-ministerial central teams (IMCT) have been constituted for the states of Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Mizoram, Kerala, Nagaland, Tripura, Gujarat, Telangana, West Bengal, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh and Odisha for on-the spot assessment of damages caused due to natural calamities during 2024.
The PM-KISAN scheme, a flagship initiative of the Government of India, was launched in February 2019 to support the financial needs of landholding farmers. Through this scheme, a financial assistance of Rs 6,000 per year is directly transferred to farmers in three equal instalments via the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode into their Aadhaar-linked bank accounts, said Chouhan in the Lok Sabha.
The scheme’s robust digital infrastructure ensures seamless delivery of benefits to farmers nationwide, eliminating the involvement of middlemen. With a commitment to transparency in the registration and verification process, the government has disbursed over Rs 3.46 lakh crore to farmers across 18 instalments since its inception, he said.
At least 11,500,274 women have benefited from the Lakhpati Didi scheme stated Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani, Union minister of state for rural development, in the Lok Sabha. The NAMO Drone Didi Scheme of the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare aims to provide drones to 15,000 SHG members under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission from 2023-24 to 2025-26.
According to him, in 2023-24, the fertiliser companies through their own resources have distributed 503 drones to SHG Members. There has been a 20 per cent decrease in dependence on informal loans, showed the impact evaluation studies on the financial independence of women in self-help groups through interventions under the DAY-NRLM, informed the minister.