The National e-Governance Plan in Agriculture (NeGP-A) is a project by the Government of India to use information and communication technologies (ICT) to improve the delivery of services to farmers and other stakeholders in the agriculture sector.
- Launch
- Launched in 2010-11 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme in 7 pilot states.
- Ministry
- Ministry of Agriculture
- Aims
- Aims to achieve rapid agricultural development through the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) for access to agriculture information by farmers at the right time.
- Expansion
- The scheme was expanded to all remaining states and 2 Union Territories in 2014-15.
Phase-II
- Site Preparation:
- office spaces were readied for the installation of hardware and computer training labs were created.
- Procurement and Installation:
- Procured, installed, and accounted for hardware and system software.
- Power Backup:
- Arrangements made for backup power where required.
- State Project Management Units (SPMUs):
- Set up and hired manpower on a contract basis.
- Connectivity:
- Ensured connectivity for hardware installation locations.
- Data Digitization:
- Focused on digitizing data and customizing applications based on state/UT-specific requirements.
Emerging Technologies Integration
- DFI Committee Recommendations:
- Scale up and enhance digital agriculture programs.
- Focus on high-tech agricultural management using Remote Sensing, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Data Analytics and Cloud Computing, Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning (AI & ML), Internet of Things (IoT), Robotics, Drones, and Sensors, and Blockchain Technology.
New Initiatives for Agricultural Modernization
- UFSP:
- A combination of core infrastructure, data, applications, and tools which will ensure smooth interoperability among public and private IT systems of agriculture.
- Farmers’ Database:
- Create an all-India database of farmers linked with their land records
- Key Objective:
- Develop an unique Farmer ID, record all the benefits availed by a farmer under schemes, enable proper planning, monitoring, and effective implementation of agriculture schemes.
