look news india
The government will issue special identity cards like Aadhaar to farmers. For this, camps will be set up across the country. Through this identity card, farmers will be easily given the benefits of government schemes. Also, there will be no need for frequent verification. Giving this information, Agriculture Secretary Devesh Chaturvedi said that taking a big step towards digitizing the agriculture sector, the government will soon start registering farmers across the country to provide them with a unique identification card (ID) similar to Aadhaar. Speaking on the occasion of Outlook Agri-Tech Summit and Swaraj Awards, Chaturvedi said that guidelines for the registration process will be issued soon, which will be implemented in the first week of October.
It will be easier to get benefits from government schemes
“Our target is to register five crore farmers by next March,” he said, adding that the initiative will involve the government’s Rs. 2,817 crore and is part of the Digital Agriculture Mission, which was recently approved by the Cabinet. He said the pilot project was earlier run in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh and 19 states have already worked on the project. Once the registry of farmers is created, each registered farmer will be provided with an “Aadhaar-like unique ID”. Chaturvedi said the unique ID will help farmers access various agriculture schemes, including the Minimum Support Price (MSP) and the Kisan Credit Card programme.
The need for verification will also end
The data collected will also help the government in policy planning and targeted extension services. “Currently, farmers have to undergo verification every time before applying for any agriculture scheme. This not only involves cost but also leads to some hassles. To solve this problem, we are going to create a registry of farmers,” he said. The secretary said the current government data is limited to details of agricultural land parcels and crops provided by the states, but lacks individual farmer-wise information. The new registry aims to bridge this gap.
Camps will be organized across the country
Chaturvedi urged progressive farmers, scientists and companies to spread awareness about the farmer registration process and encourage participation. Camps will be set up across the country for the registration drive. The government is also working on several other technological interventions, including the Kisan AI-based chatbox system, to improve services and support for farmers, the official said.