Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren on Monday announced a unique identity scheme for the farmers of the state on World Indigenous Peoples Day to help the government create a database of all peasants.

“This scheme would give financial strength and help farmers linked to the government welfare schemes. It is a government effort to provide timely training, guidance and financial assistance to all farmers (those possessing land or not). On this auspicious day we have decided to honour our farmers and from today all of them would be known as Birsa Kisan,” said Soren.

The chief minister also announced plans to form a federation for marketing and processing of forest products to boost cottage industries of lac and silk production.

State agriculture minister Badal Patralekh said that the Birsa Kisan scheme would help over 45 lakh farmers in the state link with government schemes through a database.

“All the farmers would be given a unique ID card linked with their Aadhaar card through a bar code and the government would have information about each and every farmer, including the welfare schemes to which they are linked, their land details (for farmers having land). It will also help farmers without land with training and benefit of poultry schemes. We hope to provide the unique ID cards to at least two lakh farmers before the rabi season (November),” said Patralekh.

The database would avoid duplication in welfare schemes and also help in providing benefits of the Kisan Credit Card and loan waiver schemes, officials said.

“As of now only few progressive farmers get benefits of government schemes on various heads due to duplication and a major portion remain deprived. But we do not have any data on it.

“However, with the database, the government will be able to reach out to all farmers,” said agriculture director Nisha Oraon.
Soren distributed assets worth Rs 734 crore among two lakh farmers in 24 districts on Monday.

“I would like to appeal to the farmers to reap the benefits of all the government schemes. The government would also audit all schemes to see if their benefits are reaching the beneficiaries,” said Soren while interacting with farmers of Dumka and Bokaro districts on a virtual platform.

Agriculture department data shows that the state government has waived off loans worth Rs 2,000 crore of nearly nine lakh farmers.