Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh – The Uttar Pradesh government is placing significant emphasis on the comprehensive registration of all farmers within the state as a crucial step towards ensuring transparent and timely access to various governmental agricultural schemes and benefits. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed officials to expedite the process, stressing that the Farmer Registry is pivotal for streamlining the delivery of support to the state’s farming community.
According to details received by The Chenab Times, Chief Minister Adityanath issued instructions during a high-level review meeting that the Farmer Registry must be integrated with all agriculture-related schemes. This integration aims to facilitate registered farmers’ priority access to benefits, including those related to wheat procurement, the purchase of pulses and oilseeds, and the provision of seeds, fertilizers, crop protection chemicals, and agricultural equipment.
The Chief Minister further directed that the registration process be completed swiftly across all districts through a campaign-style approach. To address any issues faced by farmers regarding registration, special camps are to be organized in every gram panchayat. Officials from the Agriculture and Revenue departments, among others, are expected to work in close coordination to achieve these objectives.
Emphasizing inclusivity, Adityanath stated that all farmers in Uttar Pradesh, irrespective of their landholding size, should be encouraged to register. A large-scale public awareness campaign is planned to ensure that every eligible farmer is made aware of the process and can avail the full spectrum of benefits offered by government schemes.
The Uttar Pradesh Farmer Registry, often referred to as UPFR Agristack, is a digital initiative designed to create a unique Farmer ID for each farmer. This digital identity is intended to serve as a single point of access for various government schemes, subsidies, and agricultural services, thereby promoting transparency and efficiency. The initiative aligns with the national AgriStack program, aiming to build a unified digital infrastructure for the agricultural sector.
Officials have been tasked with establishing the necessary technical infrastructure to link all departmental schemes to the Farmer Registry. The Agriculture Department is working towards making the system fully operational, with targets set for the completion of various integration phases. Allied departments, including horticulture, animal husbandry, fisheries, cooperation, and minor irrigation, are also instructed to coordinate with the Agriculture Department to adopt the Farmer Identity Card within their respective schemes.
The registry is expected to rectify errors in existing records by linking them with Aadhaar, further ensuring the accuracy of beneficiary data. The issuance of a Farmer Identity Card is anticipated to simplify eligibility verification and reduce procedural hurdles in receiving benefits. The ultimate goal of this comprehensive registry is to reduce complexities in benefit access, enable better-targeted utilization of resources, and identify instances of duplicate benefits, fostering a more transparent and accountable distribution process.
A special campaign is slated to run until April 15, with camps being set up at every Gram Sachivalaya to register farmers. This initiative aims to connect a maximum number of farmers to the digital platform, enabling them to directly receive benefits from agricultural schemes, including the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana and other farming-related programs. Active participation from Gram Pradhans, Panchayat Sachiv, and Lekhpals has been directed to ensure the success of this campaign. Officials are to inform farmers about the required documents and complete registrations on the spot.
Thus far, over 1.72 crore farmers in the state have been linked to the farmer registry under the PM Kisan Yojana. However, a significant number of farmers still await registration, underscoring the importance of the ongoing special campaign. This endeavor is poised not only to create an accurate database of farmers but also to significantly enhance the transparency and efficiency of agricultural scheme implementation in the future.
The integration of the Farmer Registry with various schemes is intended to ensure timely financial assistance and other benefits reach the farming community effectively. The state government’s commitment to running this campaign in a mission mode is expected to yield a comprehensive and accurate farmer database, thereby strengthening the agricultural sector’s support systems.
The Chenab Times News Desk