New Dehli [India]: India has achieved the target of creating 11 crore Farmer IDs under the Digital Agriculture Mission, five months ahead of the March 31, 2027 deadline, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare said on Saturday.
Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan described the achievement as a significant step towards strengthening digital agriculture and improving the delivery of government services to farmers.
The target was achieved by the night of October 23 through coordinated efforts by the Centre, State Governments, Union Territory administrations and field-level officials.
The Farmer ID initiative aims to provide farmers with a unique digital identity to facilitate transparent and timely access to government schemes, bank loans, crop insurance and disaster relief. It is also expected to reduce paperwork and repeated verification while improving the delivery of benefits to eligible farmers.
Simplifying Access to Government Schemes
According to the Ministry, the Farmer ID system is designed to simplify several agricultural services, including access to bank credit and Kisan Credit Cards.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, the digital system is expected to support more transparent crop-loss assessment and compensation processes. It is also intended to facilitate the delivery of disaster relief to eligible farmers.
The system will support agricultural procurement at Minimum Support Price (MSP) by improving verification and transparency in the process.
The initiative seeks to reduce procedural hurdles and ensure that farmers can access benefits without repeatedly submitting the same documents to different departments.
More Than Six Crore Farmers Have Received Benefits
The Digital Agriculture Mission was approved by the Union Cabinet on September 2, 2024, to strengthen digital infrastructure in the agriculture sector.
According to the Ministry, more than six crore farmers have already received direct benefits under various schemes through the Farmer ID-based service delivery system.
A verified farmer database is expected to help reduce duplication and fraudulent claims, improve coordination among government departments and strengthen the monitoring of agricultural welfare schemes.
Centre, States Work Together to Expand Coverage
Chouhan credited the achievement to the collective efforts of the Central and State Governments, describing it as an example of cooperative federalism.
The Ministry said States and Union Territories are also taking steps, in accordance with applicable rules, to include tenant farmers and actual cultivators in the digital system.
The objective is to ensure that all eligible farmers can access government support and welfare programmes.
Digital Technology to Strengthen Agricultural Governance
The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare said the Farmer Registry would be further strengthened to improve transparency, accountability and efficiency in agricultural service delivery.
The initiative is part of the government’s broader push to use digital technology to modernise agriculture and improve access to public services.
[DD News]