The Government of India, in September 2024, announced an ambitious plan to create digital identities for 110 million farmers in a phased manner—60 million in FY 2024-25, 30 million in FY 2025-26, and the remaining 20 million in FY 2026-27.
However, as of March 28, 2025, the Government has managed to generate only 48.5 million Farmer IDs, falling significantly short of its first-year target. This shortfall came to light when a Member of Parliament (MP) raised a question in the Lok Sabha about the progress of the initiative.
A question regarding the Government’s initiative to create digital identities for farmers was raised in the Lok Sabha on Monday. MP Shri Azad Kirti Jha sought details about the progress of the initiative and related schemes.
Questions Posed in Parliament
Jha quizzed the Government about the following points:
- The current status of the Government’s initiative to create digital identities for 110 million farmers, including the number of farmers covered so far;
- The details of funds allocated and released under the Special Central Assistance (SCA) for the creation of the Farmers’ Registry during the last three financial years;
- Whether the Government has sought an extension of SCA support for FY 2025-26 and if so, the details thereof;
- The number of districts where the Digital Crop Survey (DCS) has been implemented so far and the plans for expansion in the upcoming Kharif and Rabi seasons; and
- The steps taken by the Government to ensure the timely completion of this initiative by 2027.
Government’s Response
In response, the Minister of State (MoS) for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Shri Ramnath Thakur, stated that the Government had approved the Digital Agriculture Mission in September 2024, with a total outlay of Rs. 2,817 crore. The mission aims to create a Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for agriculture, including AgriStack, a Krishi Decision Support System, and a Soil Fertility & Profile Map. These tools are designed to improve farmer-centric digital solutions and provide timely crop-related information.
Digital Crop Survey: Lofty Targets, Lagging Implementation
The Government had initially planned for a phased rollout of the Digital Crop Survey (DCS), covering 400 districts in FY 2024-25 and all districts nationwide by FY 2025-26. However, in response to Parliamentary questions on February 11, 2025, the Government disclosed that while some states, like Uttar Pradesh (53.7 million plots surveyed) and Madhya Pradesh (46.8 million plots), had made progress, others like Telangana (443,225 plots) and Punjab (44,649 plots), had lagged behind.
According to the latest figures presented in Parliament, authorities have conducted the Digital Crop Survey in 436 districts during Kharif 2024 and 461 districts during Rabi 2024-25. While this marks a significant progress, the challenge remains: the Government originally targeted nationwide implementation by 2025-26. With just one more year to go and gaps in coverage across several states, it remains unclear how the Government plans to fast-track the remaining districts.
Fund Allocation and Disbursement
The Government has allocated Rs. 5,000 crore under the Special Central Assistance (SCA) scheme for capital investment in 2024-25. So far, authorities have disbursed Rs. 1,076 crore to six states—Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh. However, the lag in digital ID creation raises questions about the effective utilisation of these funds and the efficiency of the disbursement process in meeting the set targets.
Low Adoption of Technology: A Stark Reality
Despite the government’s push to boost the digital agriculture ecosystem, a Nasscom report paints a grim picture. It found that only 2% of Indian farmers use mobile applications for farm-related activities and real-time alerts, and the adoption of technology features such as the Internet of Things (IoT) remains at a nascent stage. While questions regarding this issue were raised in Parliament in February 2025, the Government sidestepped critical concerns instead of addressing the stark gap in adoption.
Why It Matters:
The creation of Aadhaar-linked Farmer IDs—known as Kisan Pehchaan Patra—is not just a technical exercise but a shift toward a highly centralised agricultural database. While the Government frames it as an efficiency measure, the system effectively hands over detailed demographic and farm-level data to the State, raising fears of excessive surveillance and control. Beyond privacy concerns, the digital divide looms large.
A vast majority of farmers lack digital literacy, and since registration depends on Aadhaar and land records, those with discrepancies or missing documents risk exclusion from essential benefits.
The Government, already lagging behind its original targets, faces a steep challenge in registering over 60 million more farmers within two years, especially in regions with poor internet connectivity and bureaucratic inefficiencies. If the implementation continues at its current pace, the ambitious scheme could end up as another half-baked initiative struggling to reach its intended beneficiaries.
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