Bihar Agricultural Drone Scheme for Crop Spraying
Source:indianmasterminds ↗
Why It Matters
Crucial for understanding technological interventions and state government initiatives in Bihar's agricultural sector.
Summary
The article discusses the Bihar Agricultural Drone Scheme, which promotes the use of drones for crop spraying and modernizing agriculture in the state. By offering financial assistance and subsidies, the scheme aims to reduce manual labor, minimize chemical exposure, and optimize input usage for farmers.
Key Points
- Bihar government introduced the Agricultural Drone Scheme to promote modern technology in farming and crop spraying.
- Subsidies are provided to farmers, farmer producer organizations (FPOs), and custom hiring centers to make drone technology affordable.
- The initiative aims to reduce chemical exposure for farmers, save time, optimize fertilizer and pesticide usage, and enhance agricultural productivity in Bihar.
Important Terms
Bihar Agricultural Drone Scheme
A Bihar government initiative providing subsidies and financial assistance for drone-based crop spraying, targeting hundreds of thousands of acres to promote precision farming, minimize chemical exposure, and reduce manual labor under the state’s agricultural road map.
UPSC context
Crucial for BPSC (General Studies Paper II - Economy and Agriculture), testing knowledge of state-level technology interventions in rural development.
Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM)
A centrally sponsored national scheme promoting farm mechanization, custom hiring centres, and the adoption of advanced tools like agricultural drones to increase productivity, especially among small and marginal farmers.
UPSC context
Important for BPSC and UPSC prelims/mains, testing national centrally sponsored schemes on agricultural technology and mechanization.
Bihar Agricultural Department
The state administrative body in Bihar responsible for formulating agricultural policies, implementing farm schemes, promoting modern technologies like drones, and managing the direct benefit transfer portal for farmers.
UPSC context
Relevant for BPSC questions regarding state administration, governance structures, and the implementation of agricultural schemes in Bihar.
Prelims Trap
Subsidies for drone acquisition are exclusively provided to individual small and marginal farmers under the Bihar Agricultural Drone Scheme.
Aspirants often assume subsidies are only given directly to individual small farmers, missing that Farmer Drone Custom Hiring Centres prioritize agriculture graduates with higher financial assistance.
Static Concepts Connected
What are the key structural pillars and focus areas of Bihar's Fourth Agriculture Road Map (2023-2028)?
- Outlay & Duration: Period and Scope covers 2023 to 2028 with an estimated outlay exceeding ₹1.6 lakh crore, focusing on sustainable crop diversification and climate-resilient agriculture.
- Core Focus: Key priorities include promotion of organic farming along river corridors, agricultural mechanization (including drones), seed self-sufficiency, and value addition through food processing.
- Water & Irrigation: Water management incorporates extensions of the 'Har Ghar Jal Ka Jal' irrigation linkages and localized watershed management in drought-prone southern districts.
Cross-Topic Patterns
Agriculture Road Map + Climate Resilience
Bihar's Fourth Agriculture Road Map links farm mechanization with climate resilience, tying precision agriculture directly to state disaster management and groundwater conservation goals.
Drone Subsidies + Rural Employment Schemes
Custom Hiring Centres under SMAM connect digital public infrastructure with rural youth entrepreneurship, mirroring initiatives like Krishi UDAN and PM-KISAN saturation drives.
Expect multi-statement BPSC questions on Bihar Fourth Agriculture Road Map funding splits, subsidy caps for graduates vs non-graduates, and DBT portal integration.
Linked PYQs · 1
Linked PYQs · 1
- 2023BPSC_PRELIMSGS1
Consider the following statements regarding the SVAMITVA scheme: 1. It is a Central Sector Scheme under the Ministry of Mines. 2. This scheme seeks to create geopositioning infrastructure like CORS network to benchmark the location and provides five centimetre level accuracy. 3. CORS means Cross-Origin Resource Sharing. 4. The scheme is a reformative step towards establishment of clear ownership of property in rural inhabited (Abadi) areas, by mapping of land parcels using drone technology.
