Digital Farmer Identification and Crop Surveys Implemented for Direct Benefit Transfers
India’s Government Transforming Agricultural Services through Digital Farmer IDs
India’s government is revolutionizing agricultural services through digital farmer IDs and the Digital Crop Survey (DCS) under its AgriStack initiative. These tools streamline direct cash transfers via PM Kisan, facilitate digital agricultural credit, enhance PMFBY benefits, and enable efficient soil health card issuance. With over 64 million digital IDs generated, the goal is to reach 110 million farmers by FY27.
Utilizing Farmers Digital Identity for Enhanced Services
With progress in farmers’ digital identity (ID) generation and digital crop survey (DCS), the government has started using these data to provide a host of services. These include direct cash transfer under PM Kisan, digital agricultural credit, benefits under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), and issuance of soil health cards. These digital tools ensure faster and more targeted delivery of benefits and eliminate cumbersome paperwork.
Incentivizing States to Adopt Digital Tools
The AgriStack initiative, part of the government’s digital public infrastructure project, uses farmers’ digital IDs linked to land records for various programs such as PM Kisan, agri-credit, and crop insurance. The agriculture ministry aims to accelerate the adoption of digital tools by allocating funds for developing farmer registries and conducting the DCS.
Enhancing Efficiency in Agricultural Services
By leveraging crop sown data from the DCS, the ministry can verify crop claims for loans and insurance applications. Farmers with digital IDs receive instant services without paperwork. The ministry has also collaborated with states and public sector banks to provide seamless digital access to credit services through farmer registry-linked authentication.
