Lucknow, 1 Aug: The Uttar Pradesh cabinet, led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, granted its formal approval on Tuesday to the implementation of the Digital Crop Survey (DCS) project, which envisions real-time monitoring of crop production and geo-referencing of agricultural plots held by farmers.
Surya Pratap Shahi, UP agriculture minister, told reporters following the meeting that the move would not only allow the state government to keep an eagle eye on agricultural products, but would also assist farmers in obtaining other agri-benefits such as crop insurance.
He said, the project is intended to be launched in 21 districts of Uttar Pradesh, including Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Deoria, Bhadohi, Jaunpur, Jhansi, Hamirpur, Pratapgarh, and Sant Kabir Nagar, and would be funded in a 60:40 split between the Centre and the state government.
The study will also be conducted in 10 selected revenue villages from the state’s remaining 54 districts. According to Shahi, the initiative would cover the whole state by next year.
The Centre has chosen to launch the DCS in 12 states, including Uttar Pradesh. Shahi stated that the initiative will assist the state in increasing its Gross Domestic Product by simplifying essential agricultural processes.
