Kisan Pehchaan Patra: Centre instructs states to make digital farmer IDs faster

The government aims to create digital identities for 11 crore farmers, out of which 6 crore farmers will be covered in financial year 2024-25, three crore in financial year 2025-26, and two crore farmers in 2026-27. This is why the Centre has now asked states to adopt a camp-mode approach to provide the Farmer ID. On November 28, the Agriculture Ministry sent a communication to the states in this regard.

“…the MoA&FW has advised the states to adopt a camp-mode approach, which will ensure inclusive, efficient, and speedier farmer registration,” said a source.

To encourage states to organise field-level camps and mobilise local administration, the Centre will provide states an incentive of up to Rs 15,000 per camp, said the source, adding that an additional incentive of `10 per Farmer ID will also be provided to the states.

According to sources, these financial incentives will be provided from the budget of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) scheme.

Sources said that the generation of Farmer ID has already gained pace in several states like Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, while it is at the stage of field testing in Assam, Chhattisgarh and Odisha. In the remaining states, the work is in different stages, the sources said.

The sources said the incentives provided by the Agriculture Ministry will be over and above the Special Assistance announced by the Finance Ministry. In August this year, the Finance Ministry had allocated Rs 5,000 crore as incentives for states for creating the Farmers’ Registry under the Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment 2024-25. The states can avail this fund till March 2025.