New Delhi—The Modi government has mandated Digital Farmer IDs (Kisan Pehchaan Patra) for new beneficiaries of the PM-Kisan direct cash transfer scheme starting January 1, 2025. This move aims to modernize welfare delivery for farmers, ensuring transparency, efficiency, and better access to agricultural schemes.
What Are Digital Farmer IDs?
The Kisan Pehchaan Patra is a unique digital ID linked to a farmer’s land records. It will include:
- Farmer’s name
- Landholding information
- Details of crops grown
- Other relevant data for welfare schemes
These IDs aim to support approximately 110 million farmers in the coming years, facilitating access to direct cash transfers, crop insurance, agricultural loans, and accurate crop yield predictions.
Why Digital Farmer IDs?
The initiative addresses issues such as:
- Fraud Prevention: Ensures only genuine land-owning farmers receive benefits.
- Streamlining Welfare Delivery: Simplifies registration processes and integrates land records with welfare schemes.
- Enhanced Planning: Provides accurate data for government agricultural initiatives.
Changes for PM-Kisan Applicants
- New applicants must obtain Digital Farmer IDs linked to digitized land records.
- Existing PM-Kisan beneficiaries (over 9.5 million farmers) will remain part of the registry without requiring the new ID.
The PM-Kisan scheme, launched in February 2019, provides ₹6,000 annually to farmers in three installments. Since its inception, it has disbursed ₹3.46 lakh crore over 18 installments, with the 19th installment scheduled for release next month.
State-Level Preparations
The Union Ministry of Agriculture has directed states to:
- Digitize land records for seamless integration.
- Expedite land mutation processes to reflect ownership accurately.
- Introduce mechanisms for inheritance mutations.
Government’s Vision
The introduction of Digital Farmer IDs reflects the government’s focus on using technology-driven solutions to modernize agriculture. With better data, the scheme ensures equitable benefit distribution, strengthens agricultural planning, and aligns welfare programs with the needs of farmers.
As India continues its journey toward a digitally empowered agricultural sector, this initiative marks a significant milestone in leveraging technology for farmers’ welfare.
