The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has issued a notification regarding the mandatory use of Aadhaar for the Digital Crop Survey project. This notification emphasizes the importance of Aadhaar as an identity document for availing services and benefits. It outlines the requirements, documents needed, exception handling mechanisms, and the benefits of Aadhaar authentication for beneficiaries.
The notification highlights that individuals desiring to avail services under the Digital Crop Survey project must possess an Aadhaar number or undergo Aadhaar authentication. In cases where an individual does not possess an Aadhaar number, they are required to apply for Aadhaar enrollment. The Department through its Implementing Agencies is responsible for offering Aadhaar enrollment facilities. The notification also provides provisions for cases where Aadhaar authentication fails and alternative authentication methods are adopted. Additionally, it emphasizes that no bona fide beneficiary shall be denied benefits under the project.
MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
(Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare)
NOTIFICATION
New Delhi, the 14th July, 2023
S.O. 3138(E).—Whereas, the use of Aadhaar as an identity document for delivery of services or benefits or subsidies simplifies the Government delivery processes, brings in transparency and efficiency, and enables beneficiaries to get their entitlements and services directly in a convenient and seamless manner by obviating the need to produce multiple documents to prove one’s identity;
And whereas, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (hereinafter referred to as the Department), has initiated the new Project of Digital Crop Survey (hereinafter referred to as the Project) and also, as a part of this project, supporting various State Government in the creation of various sub systems for facilitating conduct of crop survey and for delivering various Government benefits & services and this Project is being implemented through the State Government and Union Territories (herein after referred to as the Implementing Agencies);
And whereas, under the project, various services including ‘Crop Sown Certificate’, in form of digitally verifiable credentials or in physical print out form would to be provided to the Farmers of India (hereinafter referred to as the beneficiaries) by the Implementing Agencies;
And whereas, the aforesaid project involves recurring expenditure incurred from the Consolidated fund of India;
Now, therefore, in pursuance of section 7 of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016 (18 of 2016) (hereinafter referred to as the said Act) the Government of India hereby notifies the following, namely: –
(1) An individual desirous of availing the services under the project, shall hereby be required to furnish proof of possession of the Aadhaar number or undergo Aadhaar authentication.
(2) Any individual desirous of availing the benefit or services under the Project, who does not possess the Aadhaar number or has not yet enrolled for Aadhaar, shall be required to make application for Aadhaar enrolment subject to the consent of his parents or guardians (in case of child beneficiaries), provided that he is entitled to obtain Aadhaar as per section 3 of the said Act and such children or individual shall visit any Aadhaar enrolment Centre (list available at the Unique Identification Authority of India website uidai.gov.in/ to get enrolled for Aadhaar.
(3) As per regulation 12 of the Aadhaar (Enrolment and Update) Regulations, 2016, the Department through its Implementing Agencies, is required to offer Aadhaar enrolment facilities for the beneficiaries who are not yet enrolled for Aadhaar and in case there is no Aadhaar enrolment Centre located in the respective Block or Taluka or Tehsil of District the Department through its Implementing Agencies shall provide Aadhaar enrolment facilities at convenient locations in coordination with the existing Registrars of Unique Identification Authority of India or by becoming a Unique Identification Authority of India Registrar themselves:
Provided that till the time Aadhaar is assigned to the individual, the benefit under the project shall be given to such individual’s subject to production of the following documents, namely: –
I. For children below 18 (eighteen) years old: –
(a) If the child has been enrolled after attaining the age of five years (with biometrics collection), his Aadhaar Enrolment Identification slip, or of bio-metric update identification slip; and
(b) Any one of the following documents, namely: –
i. Birth Certificate; or Record of birth issued by the appropriate authority; or
ii. School identity card, duly signed by the Principal of the school, containing parents’ names; and
(c) Any one of the following documents as proof of relationship of the beneficiary with the parent or legal guardian as per the project namely: –
(i) Birth Certificate; or Record of birth issued by the appropriate authority; or
(ii) Ration Card; or
(iii) Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme Card; or Employees’ State Insurance Corporation Card; or Central Government Health Scheme Card; or
(iv) Pension Card; or
(v) Army Canteen Card; or
(vi) Any Government Card; or
(vii) Any other document as specified by the Department:
II. For beneficiaries 18 (eighteen) years old or above;
(a) If he has enrolled, his Aadhaar Enrolment Identification slip; and
(b) Any one of the following documents, namely :-
(i) Bank or post office Passbook with photo; or
(ii) Permanent Account Number Card; or
(iii) Passport; or
(iv) Ration Card; or
(v) Voter Identity Card; or
(vi) Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act Card; or
(vii) Kisan Photo passbook; or
(viii) Driving license issued by the Licensing Authority under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 (59 of 1988); or
(ix) certificate of identity having photo of such person issued by a Gazetted Officer or a Tehsildar on an official letter head; or
(x) Any other document as specified by the Department:
Provided further that the above documents shall be checked by an officer specifically designated by the Department for that purpose.
In order to provide benefits to the beneficiaries under the Project conveniently, the Department through its Implementing Agencies shall make all the required arrangements to ensure that wide publicity through media shall be given to the beneficiaries to make them aware of the requirement of Aadhaar under the Project.
In all cases, where Aadhaar authentication fails due to poor biometrics of the beneficiaries or due to any other reason, the following remedial mechanisms shall be adopted, namely :-
(a) In case of poor fingerprint quality, iris scan or face authentication facility shall be adopted for authentication, thereby the Department through its Implementing Agency shall make provisions for iris scanners or face authentication along with finger-print authentication for delivery of benefits in seamless manner;
(b) In case the biometric authentication through fingerprints or iris scan or face authentication is not successful wherever feasible and admissible, authentication by Aadhaar One Time Password or Time-based One-Time Password with limited time validity, as the case may be, shall be offered;
(c) In all other cases where biometric or Aadhaar One Time Password or Time-based One-Time Password authentication is not possible, services under the project may be given on the basis of physical Aadhaar letter whose authenticity can be verified through the Quick Response code printed on the Aadhaar letter and the necessary arrangement of Quick Response code reader shall be provided at the convenient locations by the Department through its Implementing Agency.
Notwithstanding anything contained herein above, no child or individual shall be denied benefit under the project in case of failure to establish his identity by undergoing authentication, or furnishing proof of possession of Aadhaar number or in the case of a child or individual to whom no Aadhaar number has been assigned, producing an application for enrolment, the benefit shall be given to him by verifying his identity on the basis of other documents as mentioned in sub-clauses (b) and (c) of the proviso of sub-paragraph (3) of paragraph 1, and where benefit is given on the basis of such other documents, a separate register shall be maintained to record the same, which shall be reviewed and audited periodically by the Department through its Implementing Agencies.
In order to ensure that no bona fide beneficiary under the project is deprived of services, the concerned Department in the State Governments and Union territory Administrations shall follow the exception handling mechanism as specified in the Office Memorandum of Direct Benefit Transfer Mission, Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India vide number D-26011/04/2017-DBT, dated the 19th December 2017 (available on https://dbtbharat.gov.in/).
4. This notification shall come into effect on the date of its publication in the Official Gazette in all the States and Union territory Administrations.
[F. No. Z-11021/7/2023-Digital Agriculture]
PRAMOD KUMAR MEHERADA, Addl. Secy.
ANNEXURE
I agree to share my Identity Information along with Aadhaar number with state and central Governments for the purpose of e-KYC or Yes or No Authentication with Unique Identification Authority of India for the purpose of the ‘Digital crop survey’ project. I also give consent to the state and central government to seed my data into the relevant registries to be used for implementation of this project, for delivering various services and also welfare benefits of State and Central government for making payment through Direct Benefit Transfer.
I also give my consent to State and Central Governments to use my aadhaar, my identity information and my data available into Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, State Direct Benefit Transfer project (to add the names of other systems as required by the State) for creation of required registries to be used for the crop survey project.
