Over 11,000 farmers of Kanniyakumari district are yet to upload the mandatory information for getting the Union Government’s Unique Identification Number, which is necessary for getting any agri-related assistances, District Collector R. Alagumeena has said.

Addressing the farmers’ grievances redressal meeting held here on Wednesday, Ms. Alagumeena said farmers of the district had been advised to register their names and other allied information required for getting the Centre’s Unique Identification Number, which has been made mandatory for availing the welfare assistances being given to agriculturists by the Central and the State Governments.

The farmers have to upload details about the extent of their holdings and the area of land they had taken on lease, Aadhaar number, mobile phone linked to the Aadhar number, bank account number, crop cultivation etc.

Officials from the Departments of Agriculture, Horticulture, Agricultural Marketing, Agro Business and ATMA (Agriculture Technology Management Agency) will record these information. After recording the details, each farmer is given Unique Identification Number so that these agriculturists can easily avail the benefits of Prime Minister’s Kisan Honorarium Scheme and other welfare schemes meant for them.

A total of 1,19,191 farmers from Kanniyakumari district are now getting the assistance of ₹6,000 a year under the Prime Minister’s kisan honorarium. However, only 1,07,750 farmers had uploaded the information pertaining to the extent of their holdings, crop cultivated, quantum of harvest etc. while remaining 11,441 were yet to upload these details.

“Since the farmers can get in future any assistance being extended by the Central and the State Governments only if they upload the required details, the agriculturists should complete this process immediately,” Ms. Alagumeena said.

Following appeal from the agriculturists, the Collector promised that due steps would be taken immediately to ensure the sale of chemical fertilizers in the Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies from 7 a.m. onwards and asked the Joint Director of Agriculture and the Block Development Officer to procure the paddy harvested in Shenbagaramanpudur area through the direct procurement centre.

Ms. Alagumeena said she would soon chair a joint meeting of National Highways Authority of India, Departments of Water Resources, Agriculture and the farmers to discuss about the irrigation channels and the water bodies damaged in the road projects under execution and restoring it at the earliest before the start of southwest monsoon. She also asked the Department of Water Resources and the local bodies to ensure the desilting of all irrigation channels before the start of the monsoon.

The Collector instructed the Assistant Director of Town Panchayats to take concrete steps to check the dumping of waste in and near the waterbodies.