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Punjab's Meri Fasal Mera Byora: Centre pushes digitisation as farmers express apprehension
The Centre has directed Punjab to complete digitisation of farmers’ unique IDs under Meri Fasal Mera Byora and link them to Aadhaar, land records, and bank accounts as part of the Agri Stack programme. Punjab officials report farmer apprehension about sharing data, while long-standing delays and limited ID coverage persist.
Why It Matters
The move aims to curb benefit pilferage and streamline subsidy transfers, but farmer skepticism and slow progress could affect the rollout of flagship schemes and policy trust.
Timeline
9 Events
Scope of digitisation: farm coordinates, crop data, and subsidies
May 16, 2026
The digitisation will record exact farm coordinates, crop information, details of urea, DAP and other agro-chemicals supplied to an individual farmer, along with their benefits under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana and PM-KISAN.
Agri Stack aims to unify farmer data to prevent benefit pilferage
May 16, 2026
The digitisation is part of the Centre’s Agri Stack programme, which seeks to link all farmer details to prevent pilferage of benefit transfers.
Criticism from farmers on MSP and data collection
May 16, 2026
Sukhwinder Singh questioned the need for gathering extensive data, asking why such information is sought. BS Rajewal argued that the IDs will have meaning only if issues like MSP per Swaminathan’s recommendations are addressed. He added that an MSP increase of ₹72 for paddy this year is only 3%, and binding farmers to data could push them toward corporate agriculture.
Centre mandate highlighted by Agriculture Minister Khudian
May 16, 2026
Agriculture minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian said the government was pursuing farmers to register under the Meri Fasal Mera Byora scheme because it was a Centre mandate.
Farmers apprehensive about sharing their details
May 16, 2026
Officials from the state agriculture department indicated that farmers were apprehensive about sharing their details as part of the digitisation drive.
Centre directs completion of digitisation under Meri Fasal Mera Byora
May 16, 2026
The Centre asked Punjab to complete the process of creating farmers’ unique IDs under Meri Fasal Mera Byora and to link them to Aadhaar numbers, land records, and bank account numbers as part of the Agri Stack programme.
Chief secretary chairs meeting to expedite digitisation
May 13, 2026
Chief Secretary KAP Sinha held a meeting with deputy commissioners of all 23 districts to expedite the digitisation work.
2021-22 census data: IDs and land-linking progress
2021
As per the 2021-22 agriculture census, 12% (1.92 lakh) of Punjab's farmers had IDs created out of 16.32 lakh. Linking land records to farmers’ Aadhaar cards has been completed in about 9,000 of Punjab’s 12,960 villages.
Meri Fasal Mera Byora programme begins
2019
The Meri Fasal Mera Byora programme began in 2019.