What Happened
- The government outlined its key agronomic priorities in a Lok Sabha reply, focusing on climate-resilient, carbon-neutral, and regenerative agriculture to address climate change, resource degradation, and sustainable food security
- Under the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), schemes including Per Drop More Crop (micro irrigation), Rainfed Area Development (integrated farming systems), and Soil Health & Fertility are being implemented
- ICAR's NICRA project has identified 310 climatically vulnerable districts, with 109 classified as "very high" and 201 as "highly" vulnerable
- Climate-resilient technologies are being demonstrated in 448 Climate Resilient Villages across 151 districts through Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs)
- ICAR has released 2,900 crop varieties during 2014-2024, of which 2,661 are tolerant to one or more biotic and/or abiotic stresses
Static Topic Bridges
National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA)
The National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture is one of the eight missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), launched in 2008 by the Prime Minister's Council on Climate Change. NMSA was operationalised during the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17) with the aim of making Indian agriculture more productive, sustainable, remunerative, and climate-resilient through adaptation measures. It focuses on ten key dimensions including dryland farming, risk management, access to information, use of biotechnology, improved agronomic practices, and credit and insurance mechanisms.
- NAPCC launched: June 30, 2008; contains 8 national missions
- Eight missions: National Solar Mission, Enhanced Energy Efficiency, Sustainable Habitat, Water Mission, Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem, Green India Mission, Sustainable Agriculture, Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change
- NMSA subsumed and restructured several pre-existing schemes
- Key sub-schemes under NMSA: Per Drop More Crop (PDMC), Rainfed Area Development (RAD), Soil Health & Fertility (SH&F), Climate Change and Sustainable Agriculture: Monitoring, Modeling and Networking (CCSAMMN)
- Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare
- Funding pattern: Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) with centre-state sharing typically 60:40 (90:10 for NE and hill states)
Connection to this news: The suite of schemes outlined in the Lok Sabha reply operates under the NMSA umbrella, demonstrating the convergence of climate adaptation and agricultural productivity objectives in India's policy framework.
National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA)
NICRA is a flagship network project launched by ICAR in 2011 with four components: (1) strategic research on adaptation and mitigation, (2) technology demonstrations on farmers' fields, (3) sponsored and competitive research grants, and (4) capacity building of stakeholders. The project has conducted district-level risk and vulnerability assessments across India, identifying 310 climatically vulnerable districts. Location-specific climate-resilient technologies such as System of Rice Intensification (SRI), aerobic rice, direct seeding of rice (DSR), and zero-till wheat sowing are demonstrated through KVKs in Climate Resilient Villages.
- Launched: 2011 by ICAR under Ministry of Agriculture
- 310 climatically vulnerable districts identified: 109 "very high" + 201 "highly" vulnerable
- Technology demonstrations in 448 Climate Resilient Villages across 151 districts in 28 states/UTs
- Key technologies demonstrated: SRI, aerobic rice, DSR, zero-till wheat, drought/flood-tolerant varieties
- Crops with climate-resilient varieties developed: rice, wheat, soybean, mustard, chickpea, sorghum, gram, foxtail millet
- ICAR has 731 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) nationwide for technology assessment, demonstration, and capacity development
Connection to this news: The vulnerability mapping of 310 districts and the development of 2,900 crop varieties (2,661 stress-tolerant) under NICRA represents India's largest institutional response to climate change impacts on agriculture, directly feeding into the government's sustainable agriculture framework.
Micro Irrigation — Per Drop More Crop (PDMC)
Per Drop More Crop is a component of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), aimed at enhancing water use efficiency at the farm level through micro irrigation technologies — primarily drip irrigation and sprinkler systems. Drip irrigation can save 30-70% water compared to flood irrigation, while improving crop yields by 20-90%. The scheme provides subsidies for micro irrigation equipment, typically 55% for small and marginal farmers and 45% for others. The Micro Irrigation Fund (MIF) of Rs 5,000 crore was established with NABARD to supplement state-level initiatives.
- PMKSY launched: 2015; umbrella scheme with motto "Har Khet Ko Paani"
- Components: Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP), Har Khet Ko Paani, Per Drop More Crop, Watershed Development
- India's irrigation efficiency: approximately 38-40% (compared to 50-60% in developed countries)
- Micro irrigation coverage in India: approximately 14-15 million hectares (against potential of ~70 million hectares)
- Drip irrigation: water delivered directly to plant roots through a network of pipes; saves 30-70% water
- Sprinkler irrigation: water sprayed in the air and falls on crops like rainfall; saves 20-50% water
Connection to this news: The Lok Sabha reply specifically mentions Per Drop More Crop as a key scheme promoting sustainable production practices, reflecting its central role in addressing water scarcity — one of the most immediate impacts of climate change on Indian agriculture.
Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)
Launched on February 18, 2016, PMFBY is India's flagship crop insurance scheme replacing the earlier National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS) and Modified NAIS. It provides comprehensive insurance coverage against crop failure due to natural calamities, pests, and diseases. Premium rates are fixed at 2% for Kharif crops, 1.5% for Rabi crops, and 5% for horticultural and commercial crops, with the balance premium shared between the central and state governments. The scheme uses technology including satellite imagery, drones, and smartphone-based crop cutting experiments for faster claims assessment.
- Launched: February 18, 2016; replaced NAIS and MNAIS
- Farmer premium: 2% (Kharif), 1.5% (Rabi), 5% (horticulture/commercial)
- No capping on government subsidy — full claim amount payable to farmers
- Scheme made voluntary from Kharif 2020 (previously compulsory for loanee farmers)
- Weather-Based Crop Insurance Scheme (WBCIS) operates as a complementary scheme using weather parameters as proxy for crop yields
- Claim settlement target: within 2 months of crop cutting data submission
Connection to this news: PMFBY is specifically mentioned alongside WBCIS in the government's response as providing the safety net that complements climate-resilient production technologies, forming the risk management pillar of the sustainable agriculture framework.
Key Facts & Data
- ICAR released 2,900 crop varieties (2014-2024); 2,661 tolerant to biotic/abiotic stresses
- NICRA identified 310 climatically vulnerable districts: 109 "very high" + 201 "highly" vulnerable
- Climate Resilient Villages: 448 across 151 districts in 28 states/UTs
- ICAR operates 731 KVKs nationwide
- NAPCC launched: June 30, 2008 (8 missions including NMSA)
- NICRA launched: 2011 by ICAR
- PMFBY launched: February 18, 2016; farmer premium: 2% (Kharif), 1.5% (Rabi)
- India's micro irrigation coverage: ~14-15 million hectares (potential: ~70 million hectares)
- India's irrigation efficiency: ~38-40% vs 50-60% in developed countries