Sathi Portal - UPSC Current Affairs

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Context: The Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister launched the SATHI Portal and Mobile App.

SATHI Portal and Mobile App

About

SATHI (Seed Traceability, Authentication and Holistic Inventory) Portal and Mobile App was launched by the Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister.
It is a centralised online system for seed traceability, authentication, and inventory system
It has been developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare on the theme of ‘Uttam Beej – Samriddh Kisan’.
The system will consist of integrated 7 verticals of the seed chain;
- Research Organisation
- Seed Certification
- Seed Licensing
- Seed Catalogue
- Dealer to Farmer Sales
- Farmer Registration
- Seed Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT)

Objectives

The objective is to address the difficulties of seed production, quality seed identification, and seed certification.
It will ensure a quality assurance system and identifies the source of seed in the seed production chain.
Seeds with valid certification can only be sold by validly licensed dealers to centrally registered farmers who will receive a subsidy through DBT directly into their pre-validated bank accounts.

Significance

Seed is the most important input for agriculture, as it determines the productivity and quality of the crops.
SATHI Portal and Mobile App will ensure seed quality and traceability throughout the seed value chain.

Seed Traceability

It enables tracking of seed movement from production to consumption, using unique QR codes and barcodes for each seed lot.
This helps in identifying the source and destination of each seed lot, as well as verifying its authenticity and quality.

Seed Authentication

SATHI allows verification of seed quality parameters such as germination, purity, moisture content, genetic purity, etc., using digital certificates issued by accredited seed testing laboratories.
This helps in ensuring that only certified seeds are sold in the market.

Holistic Inventory

SATHI provides real-time information on seed availability, demand, and supply across different regions and crops.
This helps in optimizing seed production planning, distribution, and procurement, as well as avoiding seed shortages or surpluses.

Farmer Empowerment

SATHI empowers farmers by providing them access to reliable information on seed quality, availability, price, and performance.
This helps them in making informed decisions on seed selection, purchase, and use.

Consumer Awareness

SATHI creates awareness among consumers about the importance of seed quality and traceability for food safety and security.
This helps them in choosing seeds that are certified and verified by SATHI.

Conclusion

SATHI Portal and Mobile App are part of the Government's vision to transform India's agriculture sector into a modern, efficient, and sustainable one.
By leveraging digital technology, SATHI aims to enhance seed quality and traceability, improve farmer income and consumer welfare, and promote environmental conservation and biodiversity protection.

Keywords

National Informatics Centre

It is an organisation under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
It provides Information and Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure and e-governance solutions to the government of India.
It was established in 1976 and at present has a network of over 4000 offices across India, connecting all the districts, states and central government departments.
It hosts over 10,000 websites and web portals for various government initiatives and services.

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q. “SATHI PORTAL” was frequently seen in the news; the portal was launched under which Union Ministry?

(A) Ministry of Home Affairs

(B) Ministry of Women and Child Development

(D) Ministry of External Affairs

Answer: C