The Union Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India, unveiled an AI chatbot for the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme in New Delhi last Thursday. This introduction represents a substantial stride in augmenting the efficiency and outreach of the PM-KISAN initiative, aiming to provide farmers with swift, lucid, and precise responses to their inquiries.
Kailash Choudhary, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, emphasised that the AI chatbot aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to revolutionise farmers' lives and enhance governance through technology. The chatbot, according to Choudhary, will facilitate access to scheme information and grievance resolution, with plans to expand its services to encompass weather updates, soil conditions, and bank payments.
During the virtual launch event attended by officials from the Government of India and state governments, Manoj Ahuja, Secretary of the Department of Agriculture & Family Welfare, announced plans to implement the AI chatbot for other major schemes of the Ministry in the coming months. Pramod Mehreda, Additional Secretary, provided an in-depth presentation on the chatbot's features and benefits for farmers.
<p>The AI chatbot, integrated into the PM-KISAN grievance management system, acts as a comprehensive guide for beneficiaries. Developed with support from the EKstep Foundation and Bhashini, it is the first of its kind integrated with a major flagship government scheme. In its initial phase, the chatbot will assist farmers in obtaining information related to application status, payment details, ineligibility status, and other scheme-related updates through the PM-KISAN mobile app.</p>
Presently available in English, Hindi, Bengali, Odia, and Tamil, the chatbot is expected to support all 22 languages of the country soon. The PM-KISAN scheme, initiated in February 2019, provides an annual financial benefit of Rs 6,000 to eligible farmers' families through the Direct Benefit Transfer mode. With over Rs. 2.61 lakhs crores disbursed to over 11 crore farmers since its inception, the scheme has significantly contributed to the socio-economic well-being of small landholding farmer families across the nation. The introduction of a mobile app with face authentication-based e-KYC further enhances accessibility for farmers, even in remote areas. (Agriculture Post)
<p>Addressing the critical water shortage, Siddaramaiah dismissed concerns of non-compliance with court orders or potential government dismissal due to the inability to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu. He stressed the state's precarious situation arising from insufficient rainfall.</p>
The Chief Minister disclosed the government's contemplation of establishing an expert advisory committee composed of legal experts to monitor irrigation projects and collect water availability data. This committee would provide continuous guidance to the government and legal teams dealing with inter-state water disputes, including the ongoing Cauvery issue.
The CWMA, aligning with the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC), had recently endorsed the release of 3,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu until October 15. In response, a statewide bandh was observed on Friday, signalling widespread opposition to the Cauvery water release. (The Times of India, The Economic Times)
The Union Agriculture Ministry in India is actively seeking to broaden the reach of the electronic national agriculture market (e-NAM), urging state governments to ease norms and enhance the platform's capabilities. The ministry advocates relaxing rules such as allowing traders from outside states to conduct commodity transactions without a bank guarantee, implementing a unified licence for seamless statewide trade access, and enabling procurement at the farm gate.
The move to eliminate the requirement for a bank guarantee is attributed to the redundancy of the practice due to the availability of online payment facilities before goods leave the mandi yard. Following a recent meeting with state government officials, the ministry is taking steps to transform e-NAM from being a pan-India digital platform for trade within agricultural produce market committee (APMC) mandis to a more comprehensive platform. This includes the inclusion of government agencies in procurement and disposal, marketisation of warehouses, cold storage, and silos, and facilitating the trade of inputs, machinery, and value-added services.
<p>Under the price stabilization initiative, entities like the National Cooperative Consumers Federation (NCCF) and farmers' cooperative NAFED have successfully sold 10,000 tonnes of onions on the e-NAM platform, engaging buyers from multiple states through transparent price discovery via bidding.</p>
While the volume of inter-mandi trade on e-NAM is still a small portion of the total turnover, there has been a significant increase, with a 300% spike in intra-state trade and growing inter-state trade. The platform, initiated in April 2016, has witnessed a surge in usage for better price discovery by farmers.
Despite the positive trend, reluctance from some states to integrate into the national platform persists. Currently, 1361 APMCs across 27 states and union territories are integrated with e-NAM, covering 209 commodities and involving millions of farmers, traders, commission agents, and Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs). The agriculture ministry highlights a trade worth Rs. 2.79 trillion recorded on the e-NAM platform since its launch seven years ago, but acknowledges that it still represents a fraction of the total agricultural commodities trade in the country, estimated at around Rs. 6 trillion, excluding milk and marine products. (The Financial Express)
The National Green Tribunal's (NGT) central bench has issued a strong directive to the government, demanding urgent and comprehensive action to control and alleviate pollution in the Narmada river. In response to a petition highlighting the critical issue of sewage discharge in the river, which serves as a lifeline for 14 cities and towns in Madhya Pradesh, the NGT has given a strict one-month deadline for the government to respond.
The petition reveals that untreated sewage from approximately 2.2 million residents in Madhya Pradesh is being released into the Narmada, affecting millions of people in Gujarat and Rajasthan who depend on its waters. Statistics indicate that the 14 urban areas along the Narmada generate nearly 200 million litres per day (MLD) of sewage, with only 87 MLD having access to treatment facilities. The remaining 51 MLD of untreated sewage poses a significant threat to the river's water quality and ecosystem.
<p>The NGT has instructed the secretary of environment and the member secretary of the Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board (MPPCB) to collect essential data from district magistrates of cities along the Narmada within 30 days. Notices have been issued to collectors in various districts to enforce the NGT's orders, including preventing encroachments on the river and its banks.</p>
Emphasising the need to revitalise non-operational sewage treatment plants (STPs) and upgrade existing ones with advanced technologies, the NGT has called for urgent measures to address gaps in sewage and effluent management across the state. The directive also includes punitive actions against polluting industries, with show-cause notices issued to defaulters.
The NGT's intervention follows a writ petition in the high courts of Gujarat and Rajasthan, highlighting the release of untreated sewage in Madhya Pradesh, causing extensive harm to Narmada's ecosystem. The river, vital for agriculture and drinking water, has faced severe pollution, leading to health risks for downstream users and ecological damage.
<p>Despite substantial investments in projects like the Sardar Sarovar dam, progress in addressing Narmada's pollution has been limited. The NGT has urged all stakeholders to comply with its orders and take immediate action to safeguard the river, emphasising its ecological significance as the lifeline of western India. The contamination of the Narmada with untreated sewage has led to health issues and diseases, necessitating prompt and coordinated efforts to protect this vital waterway. (<a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhopal/ngt-orders-madhya-pradesh-government-to-halt-narmada-river-pollution-in-30-days/articleshow/103862714.cms?from=mdr">The Times of India</a>)</p>
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has called upon the governments of Uttar Pradesh and India, pollution control boards, and civic authorities in Noida, Greater Noida, and Ghaziabad to respond to a petition alleging the rapid disappearance of Hindon river's floodplains due to unchecked illegal construction and encroachments. Alok Kumar, a resident of Ghaziabad, filed the plea, urging the NGT to use its powers to safeguard the Hindon river and its floodplains. The petition, dated September 11, claims that although Ghaziabad's development plan designates the banks of the Hindon as a "river protected area," the ground reality reveals rampant illegal construction of residential colonies encroaching upon the floodplains.
<p>The petition points out that the government is collecting stamp duties and revenues from the sale of land on the floodplains, contributing to the manifold growth of illegal construction in recent years. Originating in Saharanpur and winding through five western UP districts to Noida, Hindon has become polluted with industrial effluents while its NCR city floodplains are engulfed by residential clusters, including slum dwellings. Activists have repeatedly sought legal intervention, but the river's revival has seen limited progress.</p>
This July, flooding along the river brought attention to encroachments on the floodplains. The UP government, Union of India, Central Pollution Control Board, UP Pollution Control Board, Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA), Noida Authority, and Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA) must submit their responses to the NGT by November 2. The NGT emphasises the urgency of addressing the encroachment issue for the sustainable development principle.
In a separate matter, a committee appointed by the NGT to rejuvenate the Hindon river found over 278 polluting units operating on its banks, with 47 violating effluent discharge regulations. Additionally, 82 non-gross polluting units were identified, with three not complying with effluent discharge norms. Recommendations from the committee include improving in-stream flow, demarcating floodplains, and prohibiting solid waste dumping into the river, along with a suggested task force for verification and action plan implementation. (The Times of India)
This is a roundup of important policy matters from September 16 - September 30, 2023.