Maharashtra to issue farmer IDs to tribal farmers and move crop inspection online

The Maharashtra government has taken two important decisions for farmers. Taken during the Diwali festival, the decisions will benefit a total of 2.6 lakh farmers. They come after the 24th instalment of the PM Kisan scheme was credited to farmers' accounts.

The first decision is to issue farmer IDs to tribal farmers. The second is to carry out crop inspection online. The decisions will benefit more than 2 lakh farmers in the state, including 1.6 lakh tribal farmers.

State Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule announced the decisions. He said members of the tribal community have tilled land for years, but their names are not recorded in the land papers. Their names are also missing from other schemes. In many parts of the state, farmer IDs have not been issued to them for various reasons. The announcement is meant for such tribal people, who do not have an SPO.

Bawankule said the state government's decision would prove revolutionary for these tribal people. Farmer IDs will be issued to tribal people on the sole condition that they produce some proof dated before 1 January 2015. Producing that proof will be enough for them to get the facility.

The second decision, online crop inspection, has been described as the state government's biggest. Crop inspection of more than 1 lakh farmers had so far been stuck. With the online method, the inspection will now be possible. This will allow farmers to receive compensation for their losses.

The decisions are set against the backdrop of El Nino. According to the information presented, El Nino has had a severe impact not only on Maharashtra but on the whole country and the world. Shortages of grain and other goods have pushed up inflation considerably, directly affecting ordinary people.

Farmers are also distressed. Because of drought-like conditions and excessive rain, they could not harvest all that had been sown, and they have taken a heavy blow. Against this backdrop, the two decisions, farmer IDs for tribal farmers and online crop inspection, have been taken to bring relief to farmers.