The efforts of the agriculture department to create a database of state farmers through their online registration have started bearing fruit.
According to the latest data compiled at the state headquarters, about four million farmers have registered themselves using the facility.
The number assumes significance because according to the data of state planning and development department there are about 75 lakh farming families in the state and the aim is to register all the farmers online.
The Telegraph, earlier this year, had reported about the move when it had a full-fledged launch.
“The online registration work is being done in a mission mode and after getting a directive from agriculture minister Prem Kumar the field officials have been asked to organise special camps at panchayat level to encourage farmers for opting the online registration work,” an official with the department said.
He said farmers and the department are set to benefit by the move because it would end the practice of collecting details about farmers for each and every scheme being implemented by the department.
“The online registration would free farmers as far as sharing their details are concerned because each of the registered farmer would get a unique ID that she or he would have to use while applying for the benefit of the scheme. In case of the department, it would have a ready database of farmers for extending benefits of schemes,” said the official.
To ensure hassle-free registration, the department is using services of common service centres as well as the e-Kisan Bhavans and block-level agriculture department offices. “While e-Kisan Bhavans and block-level offices are government-owned, in case of common service centres, the farmers are not supposed to pay for the online registration work and the fee would be paid by the department,” said the official.
He said during the registration process bank account details of the farmers too were being collected because the aim is to ensure direct benefit transfer of all the schemes to the farmers’ account.
