Examine the role of digital public infrastructure in strengthening evidence-based governance in Indian agriculture, with reference to the Digital Agriculture Mission.

Evidence-based governance requires data that is timely, verifiable and granular. The Cabinet-approved Digital Agriculture Mission (outlay ₹2,817 crore, central share ₹1,940 crore) [1] seeks to supply exactly this through interoperable digital public infrastructure (DPI), of which the Digital General Crop Estimation Survey (DGCES) is the statistical backbone.

Replacing weak data foundations

• India's yield estimates rest on Crop Cutting Experiments (CCEs) — scientifically designed sample-plot harvesting [2] — historically recorded on paper, inviting transcription errors and long time lags.
• DGCES shifts CCEs to a mobile-app and web-dashboard workflow with geo-tagging, time-stamping and authenticated photographic evidence [3], making each observation auditable at source.
• It builds on the earlier GCES app and portal [4], showing incremental institutional learning rather than a fresh start.

Enabling better decisions

• Reliable yield data underpins MSP procurement planning, PMFBY insurance payouts and drought relief, where inflated or delayed estimates directly distort entitlements [3].
• Rollout has scaled from a Kharif 2023–24 pilot in 10 States to 23 States/UTs [3], a readiness-based phased model that respects varying State capacity.
• The Ministry is layering remote sensing, geospatial analysis and AI onto field data [5], combining ground truth with satellite corroboration.

Governance and capacity dividends

• Digitally authenticated evidence narrows discretion and the scope for manipulation in CCEs [3].
• Zonal workshops on the DGCES Supervision Module [6] build field-functionary skills, while Mission activities are expected to engage around 2.5 lakh trained local youth and Krishi Sakhis [7].

Limitations persist: coverage is not yet universal, connectivity and enumerator training vary across States, and digital capture cannot by itself correct flawed sampling design. The way forward lies in completing pan-India coverage, publishing quality audits, and integrating DGCES outputs with AgriStack and insurance systems. Done well, DPI converts agricultural statistics from an administrative ritual into a public good — advancing the constitutional promise of an informed, accountable state.