Agriculture Ministry seeks more funds for farmers’ registry, digital crop survey

Last year, the Finance Ministry had earmarked `5,000 crore for each of the two initiatives.

Of the government target of creating digital identities for 11 crore farmers, 6 crore farmers will be covered in FY 2024-25, three crore in FY 2025-26, and two crore farmers in FY 2026-27. This is why Agriculture Ministry has urged Finance Ministry to continue the SCA support in the next FY also. The government has set a target of creating 6 crore farmer IDs by March-end this year.

The Department of Land Resources, the nodal body for implementing the two initiatives, has approached the Finance Ministry, seeking an extension of SCA support during FY 2025-26 also, it is learnt. The Department of Land Resources, however, has sought the same amount available during the current FY.

In her Budget speech last year, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, “Our government, in partnership with the states, will facilitate the implementation of the Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) in agriculture for coverage of farmers and their lands in three years. During this year, a digital crop survey for Kharif using the DPI will be taken up in 400 districts. The details of 6 crore farmers and their lands will be brought into farmer and land registries.”

Following this, on August 9, 2024, the Finance Ministry issued the scheme guidelines on the ‘Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment 2024-25’. It earmarked `5,000 crore as incentives for creating State Farmers’ Registry, `5,000 crore as incentives for land-related reforms by state governments in urban areas, and `5,000 crore for modernization and digitization of rural land records.

As per SCA guidelines, funds will be available to the states on ‘first-come-first-served’ basis depending on their progress in creating a State Farmers’ Registry.