During January 2026, unseasonal rain, hailstorms and cyclones affected a total 17,481 hectares, impacting 30,413 farmers across three districts in Maharashtra, Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Bhagirath Choudhary told the Lok Sabha.
The government provided an amount of Rs 2,256.87 lakh as relief of compensation to the affected farmers during January 2026. During February 2026, unseasonal rain, hailstorms and cyclones affected a total of 46,980.94 hectares, according to primary reports. A survey of the affected areas is in progress, said Choudhary.
Agricultural land
The extent of agricultural land in India has remained relatively stable, according to the latest annual publication of the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare titled “Land Use Statistics-at a Glance 2023-24”.
The Gross Cropped Area has expanded significantly, rising from 198.28 million hectares (mha) in 2014-15 to 217.8 mha in 2023-24. The Net Area Sown has remained relatively stable, standing at 138.99 mha in 2023-24.
The adoption of modern technologies and effective policy interventions has also led to a continuous improvement in cropping intensity, which has risen from 142.2 per cent in 2014-15 to 156.8 per cent in 2023-24, reflecting a positive shift toward multiple cropping practices, highlighting farmers’ enhanced ability to cultivate the same land more than once annually, said Choudhary.
Cyclone Montha in Bihar
Kaimur district (Bhabua) reported crop damage exceeding 33 per cent over an area of 6,357 hectares due to Cyclone Montha, according to information received from the Government of Bihar.
The districts of Buxar and Rohtas reported no crop damage exceeding 33 per cent. There was no decline in productivity of paddy in Kaimur, Buxar and Rohtas districts, Choudhary said.
On the basis of the Kaimur district magistrate’s crop damage assessment report, 6,366 online applications were received from farmers in the affected panchayats of Kaimur district on DBT portal. The authorities provided an amount of Rs 2, 88,51,260 as financial assistance to 3,206 flood-affected farmers as agricultural input subsidy.
Clean Plant Programme
The Clean Plant Programme envisages production of disease-free elite planting material through the Clean Plant Centres (CPCs). Clean Plant Programme is a Central Sector Scheme with a total outlay of Rs 1,765.67 crore, which includes 50 per cent financing through a loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The Programme does not provide for State/UT-wise or year-wise allocation of funds. The major components of expenditure include establishment of nine Clean Plant Centres, support for 75 nurseries, implementation of a planting material certification system, and activities related to capacity building, training, and awareness generation, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan told the Lok Sabha.
Green hydrogen in Karnataka
The Government of India is implementing the National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM), with an objective to make India a global hub of production, usage and export of green hydrogen and its derivatives. Under the Mission, M/s JSW Energy Limited is implementing a green hydrogen project with an annual production capacity of 3,600 tonnes of green hydrogen, at Ballari, Karnataka. The green hydrogen produced is utilised for pilot project for production of steel, Minister of State for New & Renewable Energy and Power Shripad Yesso Naik told the Rajya Sabha.
Solar, tidal, wind and biomass energy generating units
The Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) is working towards achieving 500 GW of installed electricity capacity from non-fossil fuel-based sources by 2030. A total of 266.67 GW renewable energy capacity has been installed in the country as on February 28, 2026. This includes 143.60 GW solar power, 55.13 GW wind power, 56.33 GW hydro power, and 11.61 GW bio power.
The ministry has also taken an initiative for setting up a demonstration tidal energy project of 500 kW Tidal Power Plant in Arunachal Pradesh. The project was sanctioned by MNRE on December 17, 2025, Naik said.
Potential volume of solar panel waste
The Council on Energy, Environment and Water, a think tank, has estimated that cumulative waste from existing and projected solar capacity installations in India could reach around 600 kilo-tonnes by 2030, Naik said.
Nipah virus outbreak
Malapuram and Palakkad districts of Kerala reported four cases and two deaths due to Nipah virus disease in 2025. In 2026, North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal reported two cases and one death due to Nipah virus disease, Minister of State in the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare Prataprao Jadhav told the Rajya Sabha.
Medicinal and herbal plants
Presently, there is no scheme for cultivation of medicinal plants in National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB), Union Ministry of Ayush. However, the ministry had implemented Centrally Sponsored Scheme of National Ayush Mission (NAM) to promote the cultivation of medicinal plants since 2015-16 to 2020-21.
Under the medicinal plants component of NAM scheme, the ministry identified 140 medicinal plants for cultivation throughout the country. It supported a 56,305-hectare area under cultivation of medicinal plants throughout the country including Andhra Pradesh from the financial year 2015-16 to 2020-21, Jadhav said.
