BharatNotes Key Concepts
| Platform/Scheme | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Digital Agriculture Mission | Union Cabinet-approved DPI for agriculture — AgriStack, Krishi DSS, Soil Profile Maps |
| AgriStack | Farmer-centric Digital Public Infrastructure with three core registries |
| Farmer ID | Unique digital identity for farmers (analogous to Aadhaar for farmers in the agri ecosystem) |
| eNAM | Electronic national market — 1,656 mandis integrated as of February 2026 |
| PM-KISAN | Rs 6,000/year DBT income support; 9.32 crore active beneficiaries (22nd installment, Mar 2026) |
| Namo Drone Didi | Scheme to provide drones to 15,000 women SHGs for agricultural services |
Digital Agriculture Mission — Overview
The Digital Agriculture Mission was approved by the Union Cabinet with a budget of Rs 2,817 crore. While foundational work on the India Digital Ecosystem of Agriculture (IDEA) began from 2021, the full Cabinet approval and funding came in 2024, setting the implementation horizon to 2026-27 with a target coverage of 11 crore farmers.
The mission aims to build Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for agriculture — an open, interoperable digital layer (analogous to UPI in payments or GSTN in taxation) enabling government, private tech companies, banks, and insurance firms to deliver services directly to farmers.
Three Pillars of the Mission
- AgriStack — Farmer-centric foundational DPI (three registries)
- Krishi Decision Support System (Krishi DSS) — Integrated geo-spatial and remote sensing platform for crop monitoring, weather forecasting, and agricultural advisory
- Soil Profile Maps — District-level digital soil health mapping for precision input recommendations
AgriStack — Three Registries
AgriStack is built on three interlinked registries:
1. Farmers' Registry
Provides each farmer a unique Farmer ID (linked to Aadhaar). Contains: land ownership records, crops sown, livestock, demographic details, family data, and schemes availed. Enables seamless, targeted delivery of government subsidies, PM-KISAN, PMFBY, KCC without duplication or leakage.
2. Geo-Referenced Village Maps
Digital, geo-coded maps linking geographic data with physical land records (village survey maps). Enables accurate land management, crop area estimation, and insurance assessments. Links to the SVAMITVA scheme (drone-based village mapping for property rights).
3. Crop Sown Registry
Records crops planted by farmers in each season through Digital Crop Surveys — mobile-based ground surveys conducted by local officials. Provides real-time data on acreage, crop type, and growth stage; enables early warning for procurement planning, insurance claims, and yield forecasting.
PM-KISAN — DBT Income Support
Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) was launched on 2 February 2019. It provides Rs 6,000 per year (in three installments of Rs 2,000) directly to eligible farmer families' bank accounts via DBT.
As of March 2026 (22nd installment, released 13 March 2026 by PM Modi from Guwahati): 9.32 crore farmers received Rs 18,640+ crore. Cumulatively, over Rs 4.27 lakh crore has been disbursed since inception.
At least 1 in 4 beneficiaries is a woman farmer; over 85% are small and marginal farmers. The PM-KISAN portal (pmkisan.gov.in) enables online registration, eKYC, and grievance redressal — a model of digitally-delivered welfare.
Kisan Suvidha App and Digital Advisory
Kisan Suvidha App (DAC&FW): provides farmers with weather forecasts, market prices, plant protection advice, and agrochemical information in local languages. Available in multiple regional languages; designed for feature phone-compatible access.
mKisan Portal: SMS-based advisory service delivering weather alerts, market price updates, pest/disease warnings, and scheme information to farmers' mobile phones — reaching farmers without smartphones or internet.
AGMARKNET: Web portal providing real-time price data from APMC mandis across India; enables farmers and traders to track price trends before selling.
Kisan Call Centres (KCC): Toll-free helpline 1800-180-1551 (short code 1551), operating 6 AM–10 PM in 22 languages — farmers can call to get advisory on crops, weather, pests, and government schemes in their local language.
e-NAM — Digital Mandi Platform
e-NAM (launched 14 April 2016) is both a physical and digital market reform. As of February 2026: 1,656 mandis across 23 states and 4 UTs integrated. Registered: 1.80 crore farmers, 2.72 lakh traders, 4,724 FPOs. Cumulative trade: 13.22 crore MT worth Rs 4.82 lakh crore.
eNAM's digitisation enables: online bidding by traders (reducing cartel behaviour), assay labs for quality testing, electronic payments (eliminating cash transactions), inter-mandi and inter-state trade (reducing geographic arbitrage), and FPO aggregation (allowing small farmers to collectively sell via digital platform).
Drone Technology — Namo Drone Didi
Namo Drone Didi Scheme (2023-24 to 2025-26, outlay Rs 1,261 crore): aims to provide drones to 15,000 Women Self-Help Groups (SHGs) for offering rental drone services to farmers for fertiliser and pesticide application, crop monitoring, and yield estimation.
The scheme provides 80% Central Financial Assistance (capped at Rs 8 lakh per drone unit). Each SHG is expected to earn a minimum of Rs 1 lakh per year from drone rental income. As of December 2024, Rs 141.41 crore released for kisan drone promotion.
Drone-based agriculture applications:
- Precision spray (nano-urea, liquid nano-DAP, pesticides)
- Crop health monitoring (NDVI imaging)
- Yield estimation (satellite + drone data fusion)
- Land mapping (linking to AgriStack Geo-referenced maps)
Challenges — Digital Divide in Agriculture
Despite progress, significant barriers remain:
| Challenge | Dimension |
|---|---|
| Connectivity | ~30-40% of rural areas lack reliable 4G/broadband coverage |
| Device access | Smartphone penetration among small/marginal farmers limited |
| Digital literacy | Older farmers unfamiliar with apps and portals |
| Language barriers | Most platforms still better in Hindi/English than regional languages |
| Data privacy | Farmer data aggregation risks without a robust data protection framework |
| Infrastructure | Power supply unreliability limits device charging in remote villages |
The BharatNet project aims to connect all gram panchayats with optical fibre, addressing last-mile internet connectivity as a prerequisite for digital agriculture.
Recent Developments (2024–2026)
Digital Agriculture Mission — 8.4 Crore Farmer IDs Generated by February 2026
The Digital Agriculture Mission (Cabinet approval September 2, 2024; Rs 2,817 crore) has made rapid progress: over 8.4 crore (84 million) Farmer IDs have been generated by February 2026 — well ahead of the FY 2024-25 target of 6 crore. The Digital Crop Survey was launched in 400 districts in FY 2024-25, covering all districts by FY 2025-26. The AgriStack platform integrates Farmers' Registry, Geo-Referenced Village Maps, and Crop Sown Registry. 19 states have signed MoUs for implementation. The mission's target remains creation of digital identities for 11 crore farmers by 2026-27.
UPSC angle: Farmer ID count (8.4 crore generated by Feb 2026), Digital Crop Survey (400 districts FY 2024-25), and AgriStack's three-registry architecture are current Prelims facts. The DPI-for-agriculture analogy (AgriStack = GSTN for agriculture = UPI for finance) is a Mains framework for governance questions.
Namo Drone Didi and AI-Based Crop Advisory
The Namo Drone Didi scheme (Rs 1,261 crore, 2023-26) to provide drones to 15,000 Women SHGs progressed in FY 2024-25, with Rs 141.41 crore released as of December 2024. Each SHG drone operator earns a minimum Rs 1 lakh/year from rental services. The government also deployed the Krishi Decision Support System (Krishi DSS) — a geo-spatial platform integrating satellite imagery, weather data, and AI-based crop advisory — as part of the Digital Agriculture Mission, enabling early warning for crop stress, pest attacks, and yield forecasting.
UPSC angle: Namo Drone Didi (15,000 SHGs, 80% central subsidy, women empowerment + digital agriculture) and Krishi DSS (AI + remote sensing + weather data) are Prelims-relevant schemes and Mains technology-in-agriculture examples.
PM-KISAN — 22nd Installment and Cumulative Disbursement
PM-KISAN reached its 22nd installment in March 2026, with over 9.32 crore farmers receiving Rs 2,000 each (Rs 18,640 crore in a single installment). Cumulatively, more than Rs 4.27 lakh crore has been disbursed since the scheme's launch in February 2019. The scheme now uses e-KYC (mandatory from July 2022) and Aadhaar-linked land records for beneficiary authentication, reducing leakages significantly.
UPSC angle: PM-KISAN 22nd installment (March 2026), cumulative Rs 4.27 lakh crore disbursed, 9.32 crore active farmers, and the e-KYC/Aadhaar verification reform are updated Prelims facts replacing earlier data.
PYQ Relevance
- UPSC Mains GS3 2018: "What are the challenges to the adoption of digital technologies in Indian agriculture? How can these be addressed?"
- UPSC Mains GS3 2021: "Discuss the significance of e-NAM in transforming agricultural marketing in India."
- UPSC Prelims 2023: Questions on PM-KISAN beneficiary count, eNAM launch date, AgriStack components
Exam Strategy
For Mains on digital agriculture: Use the framework — Platforms (e-NAM, Kisan Suvidha, AGMARKNET) → DBT delivery (PM-KISAN as model) → New DPI (Digital Agriculture Mission, AgriStack) → Enablers (BharatNet, Namo Drone Didi) → Challenges (digital divide, connectivity) → Way forward (open API ecosystem, private agritech integration).
GSTN analogy for AgriStack: AgriStack is to agriculture what GSTN is to taxation — a common digital backbone enabling multiple stakeholders to access and provide services. This comparison is useful in Mains answers.
Key data: PM-KISAN = Rs 4.27+ lakh crore cumulative, 9.32 crore active farmers (22nd installment, March 2026); e-NAM = 1,522+ mandis, Rs 4.82 lakh crore trade (Feb 2026); Digital Agriculture Mission = Rs 2,817 crore, target 11 crore farmers by 2026-27; Namo Drone Didi = 15,000 SHGs, Rs 1,261 crore.
Cross-link to Ujiyari.com for current affairs on Digital Agriculture Mission implementation milestones, Farmer ID rollout progress, and BharatNet Phase-III updates.
