Over 30 lakh farmers of Jharkhand will get all their grievances addressed through a Kisan Call Centre that was inaugurated by state agriculture minister Badal Patralekh on Wednesday.

Rolling out the facility virtually at Ranchi, Patralekh said the project would benefit farmers in the remotest part of the state who faced problems in coming to the blocks to lodge their complaints.

“Through the Kisan Call Centre, farmers of Jharkhand will be able to get answers to their questions and solutions to problems related to agriculture and schemes through just one free phone call or SMS and in the shortest possible time. The work of the helpline, survey and grievance management system under the Kisan Call Centre will be done in accordance with the standards set by the department,” Patralekh added.

State agriculture director Nisha Oraon said it was a one-of-its-kind initiative in the country where farmers could not only get their grievances redressed through a call or WhatsApp message but also get all technical information pertaining to farming and government schemes such as seed distribution.

The call centre facility will initially be available from 10am to 5pm from Monday to Saturday. “Depending on the response, we may increase the time on a shift basis. However, even if any complaint is lodged after 5pm, the number will be registered and the farmer will receive a call-back,” Oraon said.

Farmers can register their problems from at home through toll-free number 1800-123-1136, landline number 0651-7122712, WhatsApp/SMS 8797891222, website kccjharkhand.in and email ID info@kccjharkhand.in. They can also give suggestions that will benefit other farmers as well.

Patralekh also launched a block chain technology to monitor the seeds reaching the farmers at subsidised rates. Through this new technology, real-time monitoring of seeds will be possible and black-marketing prevented.