The Union Agriculture Ministry has provided digital identities to over 61 million (6.1 crore) farmers across 14 Indian states, marking a significant step in modernising the agricultural sector.
The Centre, in partnership with state governments, is implementing the Kisan Pehchaan Patra initiative to issue digital IDs to 110 million (11 crore) farmers by the end of FY27.
These digital IDs link directly to individual land records and store vital data such as landholding size and crop types.
Officials say the system will enable real-time authentication, simplify access to government services, and improve transparency in credit distribution, crop insurance, and subsidy transfers.
New applicants under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) scheme will now be required to link their applications to these digital IDs.
Among the 14 states, Uttar Pradesh leads with 1.3 crore digital IDs issued, followed by Maharashtra (99 lakh), Madhya Pradesh (83 lakh), Rajasthan (75 lakh), Andhra Pradesh (45 lakh), Gujarat (44 lakh), and Tamil Nadu (30 lakh).
Other participating states include Assam, Bihar, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Telangana, and Madhya Pradesh.
Part Of AgriStack & Digital Agriculture Push
The initiative is a core element of AgriStack, part of the Centre’s broader Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) strategy in agriculture.
AgriStack comprises three major registries:
- Geo-referenced village maps
- A crop-sown registry, and
- A farmers’ registry
A digital crop survey has already commenced in various states as part of the Kharif 2025 season preparations.
Recognising that nearly 30–40% of India’s cropped area is cultivated by farmers who do not own the land, the ministry clarified that tenant and lessee farmers can also be onboarded onto the registry, subject to respective state policies.
Data ownership will remain with the respective states and Union Territories.
Meanwhile, an API-based software currently checks land records for PM-Kisan beneficiaries.
New applicants must provide digitally verified land ownership to qualify, although existing beneficiaries remain unaffected.
The Centre has directed states to accelerate the digitisation of land records and update beneficiary names.
The government launched the ₹2,817 crore Digital Agriculture Mission last year to drive the rollout of digital farmer identities.
The mission also includes a Krishi Decision Support System and a national soil fertility and profile map to support data-backed policymaking.
By establishing a centralised, tech-driven agricultural ecosystem, the government aims to deliver targeted, timely, and transparent support to India’s estimated 140 million farmers.
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