News · eGov
Sukhnandan Choudhary, former minister and senior BJP leader, has called on the Jammu and Kashmir administration to complete Bandobast and Jamabandi operations before generating Farmers' IDs under the AgriStack initiative.
✦ AI SUMMARY 30-second read
- Choudhary warned that issuing Farmers' IDs on the basis of inaccurate revenue records could harm genuine farmers and landowners in J&K.
- Numerous mutations related to inheritance, sale deeds and gift deeds, particularly those arising after 2015-16, remain pending or unincorporated in revenue records.
- He urged the Lieutenant Governor and the Chief Minister of J&K to order a time-bound action plan for comprehensive settlement and re-settlement operations across all affected villages.
Why it matters: Flawed land records used as the base for digital farmer IDs could exclude rightful beneficiaries from government agricultural support in J&K.
This summary was generated by AI. Editors may review and update it.
Sukhnandan Choudhary, former minister and senior BJP leader, spoke at a press conference at BJP headquarters, Trikuta Nagar, Jammu, welcoming the AgriStack initiative of the Government of India, implemented under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. The initiative aims to modernise the agricultural sector through digital databases and technology.
Choudhary was accompanied by J&K BJP Media Incharge Dr Pardeep Mahotra, Kissan Morcha President Rakesh Pant and former DDC and BJP SC Morcha Vice President Balbir Lal. He stressed that the success of the initiative depends entirely on the accuracy and legal soundness of the underlying land records.
What was said
Choudhary called for comprehensive settlement and re-settlement operations across Jammu and Kashmir before Farmers' IDs are generated under AgriStack. He pointed out that outdated and inaccurate revenue records in several villages have created confusion over land ownership, proprietary shares, possession, inheritance and other land-related rights.
He noted that numerous mutations relating to inheritance, sale deeds, gift deeds and other lawful transfers, particularly those arising after 2015-16, are still pending or have not been properly incorporated into the revenue records. Generating Farmers' IDs without first correcting these records, he cautioned, could create further difficulties for genuine farmers and landowners.
Key demands
Choudhary urged the UT Government to ensure that pending mutations are duly attested and incorporated, that ownership and proprietary shares are correctly determined and that possession details are verified before Farmers' IDs are finalised. He called on the Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, and the Chief Minister of J&K to personally intervene and direct the concerned departments to initiate fresh settlement wherever required.
He also demanded that authorities formulate a time-bound action plan for updating revenue records throughout Jammu and Kashmir, so that farmers and landowners do not suffer as a result of historical errors and administrative deficiencies.
Background
AgriStack is a central government programme designed to build a federated digital infrastructure for the agriculture sector. A core component of the programme is the creation of a unique digital identity, commonly referred to as a Farmer ID, which is intended to link farmers to land records and facilitate targeted delivery of government schemes and benefits.
Bandobast and Jamabandi are traditional revenue administration processes used to survey and record land ownership, rights and possession. Where these have not been updated, discrepancies between actual ground realities and official records can result in eligible farmers being left out of welfare programmes.
What happens next
Choudhary reiterated that protecting the legitimate land rights of farmers and landowners must remain a priority during the implementation of new digital initiatives. He appealed for digitisation to be preceded by thorough verification, correction and reconciliation of all revenue records, including fresh settlement and re-settlement wherever necessary.
Elets will update this story as the J&K administration responds to these demands.