State government says digital farmer IDs will streamline access to welfare schemes and subsidies.
The Bihar government will launch a special statewide campaign from Tuesdau upto June 30 to create digital farmer identities under the Farmer Registry initiative, Agriculture Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha announced on Monday.
The campaign is being jointly carried out by the Agriculture Department and the Revenue and Land Reforms Department. It will formally begin at Krishi Bhawan in Mithapur, Patna, with the registration of farmers from Phulwari Sharif block.
Nearly 48 lakh farmer IDs created so far
According to the minister, the state has already generated 47.85 lakh farmer IDs through earlier mission-mode drives conducted this year.
During the first phase, held from January 6 to 11, 10.14 lakh farmers IDs were created. In the second phase, from January 17 to 21, another 7.15 lakh registrations were completed.
A third phase conducted between February 2 and 11, added 10.37 lakh more farmer IDs, taking the cumulative figure from the mission drives to 27.67 lakh.
Government links initiative to welfare delivery
Sinha said the initiative is aimed at digitally integrating farmers and improving transparency in government schemes.
Under the registry system, each farmer will receive a unique digital farmer ID. The government said this would help ensure smoother access to schemes such as PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi, crop insurance, Kisan Credit Card (KCC) services and agricultural assistance grants.
The minister said that once the digital identity is created, farmers would not need to repeatedly submit documents for availing benefits. Compensation for crop losses and scheme payments would also be transferred directly to bank accounts.
Registration process and required documents
Farmers can register themselves through the Bihar Farmer Registry portal or by scanning a QR code issued by the department.
The government said applicants would need an Aadhaar card, a mobile number and details of land records registered in their name.
Registrations can also be completed through Common Service Centres (CSCs) or by contacting agriculture coordinators and farmer advisers at the panchayat level.
PM-Kisan benefits linked to digital identity
Sinha appealed to farmers across the state to complete their registration during the campaign period.
He said the digital farmer identity would be mandatory for continued access to benefits under the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme.
For assistance, farmers can contact the Agriculture Department helpline at 18001801551 or the Revenue and Land Reforms Department helpline at 18003456215.
Senior officials present at the meeting included Agriculture Department Principal Secretary Narmdeshwar Lal and Agriculture Director Saurabh Suman Yadav.
Source - https://patnapress.com
