NEW DELHI, 24 June 2023: Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister, Narendra Singh Tomar, has unveiled the PM Kisan Mobile App with an innovative Face Authentication Feature.
This development comes under the government's widely acclaimed initiative, Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi, which aims to provide income support to farmers across the country.
The Face Authentication Feature incorporated in the app allows farmers to complete their electronic Know Your Customer (e-KYC) process conveniently from their homes.
Unlike traditional methods involving One-Time Passwords (OTP) or fingerprints, farmers can now complete the e-KYC by simply scanning their face. This groundbreaking technology has already facilitated the e-KYC process for 100 farmers, eliminating the need for them to visit government offices.
The launch event witnessed the virtual participation of thousands of farmers from Krishi Vigyan Kendras across India, as well as government officials, representatives of agricultural organizations, and officers from central and state governments. Speaking at the event held in New Delhi's Krishi Bhavan, Minister Tomar praised the extensive scope and efficiency of the Prime Minister Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme. He acknowledged the diligent efforts of state governments in implementing the scheme, which has enabled the disbursement of installments to approximately 8.5 crore farmers.
Minister Tomar emphasized that the PM-Kisan scheme is a transformative initiative that ensures direct benefits to farmers without the involvement of intermediaries. He commended the integration of technology, which has played a pivotal role in making this large-scale support possible.
The app's launch marks a significant achievement in implementing the scheme, streamlining processes, and facilitating efficient data verification between the central and state governments.
Furthermore, Minister Tomar urged all state governments to expedite the process to ensure maximum coverage and timely disbursement of the 14th installment of the scheme. He highlighted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's emphasis on reaching saturation levels of beneficiaries if sufficient funds are available.
Speaking at the event, Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Kailash Choudhary, lauded the role of technology in benefitting the agriculture sector. He emphasized how the new app will provide unprecedented convenience to farmers. Union Agriculture Secretary, Manoj Ahuja, also shared his insights, while Additional Secretary, Pramod Kumar Mehrada, explained the app's features.
The PM Kisan Mobile App will not only facilitate e-KYC but also provide essential information related to the scheme and individual PM Kisan accounts. Farmers can easily check the status of landseeding, the linking of Aadhaar with bank accounts, and perform e-KYC using the app's No User Status Module.
The government has also collaborated with India Post Payment Bank (IPPB) to open Aadhaar-linked bank accounts for beneficiaries at their doorstep. Additionally, Common Service Centers (CSCs) have been instructed to organize village-level e-KYC camps in collaboration with States/Union Territories.
The PM Kisan scheme, one of the world's largest Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) schemes, provides direct financial assistance to farmers, with Rs 6,000 being transferred to their Aadhaar-linked bank accounts in three installments annually.
Since its inception, over 11 crore farmers, including more than 3 crore women, have received a total of Rs 2.42 lakh crore. The scheme has been instrumental in providing crucial support to farmers, even during the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Farmers can now download the user-friendly PM Kisan Mobile App from the Google Play Store. It is expected to revolutionize the farming community's access to information and simplify their participation in government schemes.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare aims to increase farmer engagement with the app through the involvement of youth and the issuance of certificates to those who assist in this process, based on the prescribed criteria.