Studies assessing the impact of rising temperatures and heat stress on wheat yield and grain quality have been undertaken by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research in Karnal, Bhagirath Choudhary, Union minister of state for agriculture and farmers’ welfare, told the Rajya Sabha.
A study conducted in the North Western Plain Zone (NWPZ) and North Eastern Plain Zone during 2021-22 — a year marked by heat stress — found that in the NWPZ, the maximum temperature rose significantly by 5.5 degrees Celsius compared to 2020-21, leading to an average yield loss of 5.6 per cent under high temperature stress conditions, the minister said.
However, due to variations in temperature increases, crop stages and the deployment of heat-tolerant varieties, there was no reduction in average wheat productivity at the national level during 2021–22 (3,537 kilogramme per hectare, or kg/ha), compared to 2020–21 (3,521 kg/ha). Over the past ten years, more than 60 per cent of the wheat-growing area has been cultivated with heat-tolerant varieties, Choudhary added.
No nationwide targets have been set by the Union Ministry of Heavy Industries for the installation of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma, Union minister of state for heavy industries, told the Rajya Sabha. According to data from the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, as of April 1, 2025, a total of 26,367 public charging stations have been installed in Tier 1, 2 and 3 cities over the past five years.
As of March 31, 2025, a total of 1.02 million EV have been sold under the Prime Minister’s Electric Drive scheme, Varma told the Rajya Sabha. Furthermore, 505,645 e-vouchers have been generated and availed by EV customers under the scheme. It is estimated that the sale of 1.02 million EVs has resulted in a reduction of 230,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, he stated.
To promote the integration of renewable energy in EV charging infrastructure, the Union Ministry of Power, in its Guidelines for Installation and Operation of Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure-2024, has recommended discounted electricity tariffs for EV charging during solar hours, the minister said. These guidelines also allow charging stations to incorporate solar energy.
The Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare is promoting the use of kisan drones — indigenous drone-based systems for crop and soil health monitoring — under the Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanisation, Ramnath Thakur, Union minister of state for agriculture and farmers’ welfare, told the Rajya Sabha.
From 2021-22 to 31 March 2025, funds amounting to Rs 141.39 crore have been allocated for the promotion of kisan drones. This includes Rs 52.5 crore released to ICAR for drone procurement and field demonstrations via 100 Krishi Vigyan Kendras, 75 ICAR institutions and 25 State Agricultural Universities, the minister said.
ICAR institutions have procured 296 drones and conducted 27,099 demonstrations on the application of nutrients, fertilisers and pesticides, following standard operating procedures, covering 30,235 hectares. Funds have also been disbursed to state governments to supply 544 kisan drones to farmers at subsidised rates and to establish 1,595 Kisan Drone Custom Hiring Centres to provide drone services, Thakur added.
The National TB (tuberculosis) Prevalence Survey in India was conducted from 2019 to 2021 by the Indian Council of Medical Research, Anupriya Patel, Union minister of state in the ministry of health and family welfare, told the Lok Sabha. The survey revealed that smear microscopy could detect 160 tuberculosis cases per lakh population, while the Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT) could detect 301 cases per 100,000.
To strengthen molecular diagnostic capacity across all districts under the National TB Elimination Programme, the number of NAAT laboratories has increased from 121 in 2015 to 8,540 in 2025.
According to data updated by states on the national portal, as of March 26, 2025, out of over 1.58 million individuals screened for thalassaemia, 5,037 have been identified as patients and 50,462 as carriers, Patel told the Lok Sabha.
The National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission was launched by the Prime Minister in Madhya Pradesh on July 1, 2023, Patel told the Lok Sabha. The mission aims to provide affordable, accessible and quality care to all patients with sickle cell disease, reduce the prevalence of the disease through awareness and screen 70 million individuals aged 0-40 years in affected tribal districts by 2025-26. It also includes counselling through joint efforts by central ministries and state governments, the minister stated.