NEW DELHI: On Tuesday, the centre launched three initiatives focusing on agri-credit and crop insurance which aim to amplify financial inclusion, streamline data utilization, harness technology and enhance the livelihoods of the agricultural community.The initiatives, launched by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar, include the Kisan Rin Portal (KRP) for objective monitoring and efficient credit delivery, the Ghar Ghar KCC (Kisan Credit Cards) Abhiyaan for making institutional short-term agriculture credit available to left out farmers and the WINDS Manual for hyper-local weather data collection, management and utilization for agriculture and climatic/disaster risk reduction purposes.In her keynote address, Sitharaman assured full cooperation of banks for the success of Ghar Ghar KCC Abhiyan and said that the government has allocated enough money under KCC scheme to ensure easy short-term loans to farmers and their onboarding for the scheme.The Abhiyaan (campaign) will ensure that every farmer has unhindered access to credit facilities that drive their agricultural pursuits.

It will begin from October 1 and continue till December 31.

The existing KCC account holders’ data has been verified against the PM-Kisan (income support scheme) database.

The campaign will help in the saturation of KCC accounts among eligible PM-Kisan beneficiary farmers by connecting around 1.5 crore beneficiaries who are not yet connected to KCC scheme.Commending agriculture ministry for its initiatives and successful implementation of its flagship crop insurance scheme - Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), Sitharaman underlined that over 1.4 lakh crores of insurance (claim) amount has been disbursed to farmers so far against a premium amount of Rs 29,000 crore.Referring to use of technology - YES TECH - for crop yield estimation which is initially meant for estimating output of rice (paddy) and wheat, the finance minister asked the officials to extend it to estimate the output of pulses and oilseeds so that better planning can be done for their imports, if needed.

She said that real time estimation of crops will help the economy and ensure right prices for farmers at the end of crop season.The finance minister also called for full automation of regional rural banks and cooperative banks and directed the department of financial services to study the gap between loan sanction and loan disbursement for these banks.Speaking about the WINDS (Weather Information Network Data Systems) manual that was prepared with the help of the ministry of earth sciences, Tomar said the aim is to ensure real time weather information so that farmers can take right precautions for their crops at the right time.The initiative aims to establish a network of automatic weather stations and rain gauges at the taluk/block and gram panchayat levels.

It’ll create a robust database of hyper-local weather data, supporting various agricultural services.The manual provides stakeholders with an in-depth understanding of the portal’s functionalities, data interpretation, and effective utilization.

It guides states and Union Territories in establishing and integrating with the WINDS platform, fostering transparent and objective data observation and transmission.

It also offers practical insights into leveraging weather data for improved crop management, resource allocation, and risk mitigation.The Kisan Rin Portal, on the other hand, aims to facilitate access to credit services under KCC.

It will assist farmers in availing subsidized agriculture credit through the Modified Interest Subvention Scheme (MISS).The portal serves as an integrated hub, offering a comprehensive view of farmer data, loan disbursement specifics, interest subvention claims, and scheme utilization progress.These initiatives along with the recently launched unified portal for agri-statistics (UPAg) will help stakeholders access real-time, credible and standardized information for making decisions.

Currently, agricultural data is scattered across various sources and often presented in different formats and units.

The UPAg portal, developed by the agriculture ministry, aims to consolidate this data into a standardized format, making it easily accessible and understandable for users.

The portal standardizes data on prices, production, area, yield, and trade, making it accessible at one platform, eliminating the need to compile data from multiple sources.

It will also perform advanced analytics, offering insights such as production trends, trade correlations, and consumption patterns.

The portal will generate granular production estimates with increased frequency, enhancing the government's ability to respond to agricultural crises swiftly.

The users will have the flexibility to use the portal's data to prepare their own reports, promoting data-driven decision-making.