Kisan Call centres

What are Kisan Call centres?

• Ministry of Agriculture launched the scheme "Kisan Call Centres (KCCs)" in 2004 to answer farmers' queries on a telephone call in their own dialect.

How do KCCs function?

• Kisan Call Centre provide services of agents known as Farm Tele Advisor (FTAs) to farmers
• FTAs are graduates or above (i.e. PG or Doctorate) in Agriculture or allied (Horticulture, Animal Husbandry, Fisheries, Poultry, Beekeeping, Sericulture, Aquaculture, Agricultural Engineering, Agricultural Marketing, Biotechnology, Home Science etc. and possess excellent communication skills in respective local language.
• Queries which cannot be answered by Farm Tele Advisor (FTAs) are transferred to higher level experts in a call conferencing mode.

How can farmers access KCCs?

• A countrywide common eleven-digit Toll Free number 1800-180-1551 has been allotted for Kisan Call Centre.
• Call center services are available from 6.00 am to 10.00 pm on all seven days of the week at each KCC location.
• These call Centers are working in 14 different locations covering all the States and UTs.
• Replies to the farmers' queries are given in 22 local languages.

PRELIMS QUESTION

Consider the following statements regarding Kisan Call Centers scheme:
1.They are operated by ministry of agriculture.
2.Services of Kisan call Centers are available only in either Hindi or English.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a)1 only
(b)2 only
(c)Both 1 and 2 
(d)Neither 1 nor 2

Answer to prelims question