In a significant push towards digital governance in agriculture, the Patna district administration has rolled out an intensive four-day campaign. This drive, which commenced on Tuesday, January 6, and will run until January 9, aims to complete the e-KYC process for farmers and generate unique digital farmer registry IDs across all 322 panchayats in the district.
A Single Digital Identity for Multiple Benefits
This unified, single-window digital identity is now compulsory for cultivators seeking advantages under several central and state government initiatives. Key schemes linked to this digital ID include the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi, Kisan Credit Card (KCC), and various crop assistance and subsidy programmes. The move is designed to create a seamless interface where farmers no longer need to submit physical documents repeatedly for different benefits.
During a review of the ongoing drive, officials were instructed to accelerate registrations. This will be achieved through meticulous micro-planning and extensive awareness campaigns, which will even involve making announcements at the village level to ensure maximum participation.
How the Digital Farmer Registry Works
The core of the new system is the integration of Aadhaar data with official land records (Jamabandi). This fusion creates a verified digital profile for each farmer. To register at the special camps set up at the panchayat level, farmers must bring three essential items: their Aadhaar card, a mobile phone linked to their Aadhaar for OTP verification, and online records of their land ownership.
The administration has issued a stern warning to its staff, stating that strict disciplinary action, including suspension and show-cause notices, will be taken against anyone found negligent or absent during this crucial campaign.
Transparency, Efficiency, and Direct Access
Beyond mere administrative convenience, the digital registry promises to revolutionise how farmers interact with support systems. A primary goal is to enhance transparency by cutting out middlemen and preventing the wrongful inclusion of ineligible beneficiaries in government schemes.
Once registered, farmers stand to gain on multiple fronts:
- Easier access to disaster compensation for crop damage.
- Receipt of personalised agricultural advisories and alerts directly on their mobile phones.
- Direct connection to the electronic National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) platform for better price discovery for their produce.
- Faster processing of bank credit, as the system pre-validates land ownership and identity, reducing paperwork and verification time for financial institutions.
This four-day concentrated effort in Patna marks a critical step in bringing Bihar's farming community into the fold of India's digital agriculture ecosystem, aiming to make welfare delivery more efficient, transparent, and farmer-centric.
