Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday launched ‘Maha Agritech,’ a project under which area under cultivation from sowing to harvesting, climate, and diseases on crops will be monitored digitally using satellite and drone technology.
“Around 1.5 crore farmers will be brought on digital platform under this program, supported by Maharashtra Remote Application Centre (MRSAC) and ISRO. In its first stage, crop management, area under cultivation will be brought on digital platform in six districts in the rabi season. Satellite monitoring from sowing till harvesting of area under cultivation will be used to predict exact produce. It will be used to counter diseases on crops, including climate change. This will be the first project in the country under which farming will be digitally tracked,” Mr Fadnavis said at an interaction, through video conferencing, with farmers from across the State in a program called Lok Samvad.
Mr. Fadnavis reaffirmed his government’s commitment to doubling the income of farmers by 2022. “We are implementing various schemes of the central and state governments for farmers, and we are going to do it (double the income),” he said.
Amid allegations of private insurance companies, and not farmers, benefiting from the Prime Minister Crop Insurance Scheme, Mr. Fadnavis assured that farmers would benefit. He said that around 55 lakh farmers were given compensation worth thousands of crores under the scheme.
The Chief Minister said informed that the government has approved loan waiver worth ₹24,000 crore for the 51 lakh farmers holding bank accounts. “The government has also made available more than ₹10,000 crore fund in the budget for the current fiscal to implement various schemes meant for them,” he said, adding that the government distributed compensation worth ₹15,240 crore to farmers whose crops were hit by natural calamities.
Mr. Fadnavis also told the farmers that under the Jalyukta Shivar water conservation scheme, 16,000 villages across the State had become water-sufficient.
