India to Digitize the Agricultural Sector Through Unique Digital Farmer ID

[Borg Refinery]

India's Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the implementation of DPI for agriculture in the Union Budget 2024-25. The approved Digital Agriculture Mission will receive a total public funding of US$335.36 million, which includes $230.95 million from the central (federal) government.

Through the AgriStack initiative, each farmer will receive a unique digital identifier, similar to the Aadhaar system. The digital identifier will be connected to various personal and farming-related information, including land records, livestock ownership, crops grown, and benefits received.

The Kisan Ki Pehchaan digital identity system will be introduced in a phased manner to cover 60 million farmers by March 2025. The government's long-term plan is to extend the system to all 110 million farmers within three years.

The government is emphasizing a farmer-centric DPI to enhance the efficiency of agricultural governance. Connecting farmer IDs with government and private agencies will improve the delivery of services such as subsidies, crop insurance, and agricultural loans.

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