mKisan Portal: Objectives and Features

mKisan Portal: Objectives and Features


Question: As per the TRAI May 2014 data, around 38 crore mobile telephone connections apart in rural areas, internet penetration rate is still very low in India. Mobile messaging has become an effective tool to reach farming communities. Discuss the value of the m-Kisan SMS portal for farmers at State and Central level.

- mKisan portal (SMS) for farmers enabled state and central government organisations in allied and agriculture sectors to provide data and advisories to farmers through SMS in their language with reference to their location and preference of agricultural practices

- This includes State Agriculture Universities, Agromet Forecasts Units of India, Krishi Vigyan Kendras, Meteorological Department, ICAR Institutes, Animal Husbandry organisations, and dairying and fishery units

- This SMS portal was inaugurated in July 2013

- Messages provided to farmers through this portal meet their specific needs and requirements at particular points in time

- This portal provides value added services such as IVRS(Interactive Voice Response System), USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) and Pull SMS which are value added services to receive broadcast messages and attain web based services without access to internet

Objectives

- The prime objective is to make SMS and other mobile based services a tool of 2 way agricultural extension wherein not only are farmers given information, but they can also raise queries through Pull SMS or USSD

- Centralised system of communication to ensure flow of information in their own language by farmers is another objective

- Another objective is to ensure mobile telephony spread in rural areas created level playing field for small and marginal farmers

- Currently there are 38 crore mobile telephones in rural areas as against 9 crore farm households

- Integrated portal for proper storage of advisories and messages and effective monitoring across various levels is another aim of this initiative

- It seeks to integrate farmer database from State governments, universities, KVKs web based registration and Kisan call centres

- Effective internet penetration is 5% while SMS messaging is the only means of bridging the digital divide

Features

- Provision of web based services through SMS or USSD is the basic aim of the whole project

- Integration with farmer centric services like Common Service Centres, Kisan Call Centures and more is another feature of this SMS portal.

- The portal has a database to sift farmers down to block level and select certain agricultural commodities , ratings or correction of massagers searchable database of previous advisories and more

- This portal is being used in 12 different languages by GoI officials from CWC< IMD, DAHDF, ICAR and DAC and organisations down tot block level, SAUs, KVKs and AMFUs

- Around 70 lakh farmers have already opted to receive advisories and services on mobile phones are grouped on the basis of state, district, block and crops/activities selected by farmers

- Messages associated with technical literature prepared by authorities is the end product

- Nearly 20 web based services across the nation have been integrated with this SMS portal and includes Buyer Seller Interface, Choice of Machine and Dealer, Kisan Call Centre etc

Facts and Stats

- Mobile messaging will reach 8.93 crore farm families through mKisan

- Other modes of delivery of services apart from mobile telephony as per the National e-Governance Plan include internet, touch screen kiosks, agri-clinics, private kiosks, mass media, Common Service Centres, Kisan Call Centres, and integrated platforms in the departmental offices coupled with physical outreach of extension personnel equipped with pico-projectors and hand held devices.

- It has generated 210 crore SMS messages and 1.75 lakh advisories since its inception
Post your comment