Vasu Potnuru Anakapalli

Ina concrete step towards strengthening digital agriculture and ensuring faster access to institutional credit for farmers, a pilot initiative of a digital Kisan Credit Card (KCC) loan disbursement system was flagged off in Anakapalli.

The innovative initiative, developed in partnership with the Central Government’s AgriStack digital ecosystem, aims to mobilise agricultural credit faster, more transparently, and without unnecessary delays. Under the new digital system, eligible farmers can have their KCC loan applications processed and the sanctioned loan amount credited directly to their bank accounts in less than 10 minutes.

As part of the pilot project, data relating to nearly 3 lakh farmers in Anakapalli district was examined through the AgriStack-based digital filtration process. Of them, around 80,000 farmers were initially identified as eligible for Kisan Credit Card loans.

Launching the project, District Collector Vijaya Krishnan informed that specific targets had been fixed for branches of nationalised banks with each branch expected to sanction loans to at least 100 eligible farmers. Targets have been allocated mandal-wise and branch-wise to ensure the effective implementation of the programme across the district.

One of the major advantages of the new system is that once a farmer’s application is uploaded, the loan approval process is carried out digitally based on the information available in the integrated system, reducing the scope for delays and unnecessary human intervention.

Following the completion of the required verification process, the sanctioned amount can be credited directly to the farmer’s account in 10 minutes.

Officials will organise meetings with bank branch managers and loan-disbursing officers at Rythu Seva Kendras (RSKs) in villages, in coordination with Agriculture Department officials. Farmers will be educated about the new digital process through live demonstrations and guided on how to submit their applications online.

The initiative assumes greater significance at a time when farmers are reeling under the impact of inadequate rainfall and prevailing El Nino conditions. With irrigation support strengthened through various projects and increased water availability, the speedy disbursement of crop loans is expected to provide much-needed financial assistance to farmers and help them meet their agricultural requirements during the coming months.

The Andhra Pradesh government’s rythu digital register will play a key role in the process by integrating farmers’ land records, crop details and ownership information into the digital ecosystem. The Jan Samarth portal, which already facilitates access to several government-supported financial schemes, has now been made available for the digital processing of Kisan Credit Card loans.

The initiative adds another important digital service to the existing ecosystem of financial and development schemes available to citizens.

Under the new system, authorities and banks can digitally verify whether agricultural land has any existing loan liabilities, liens or mortgage-related issues through online records.

The system can also examine the farmer’s eligibility for interest subsidies and review the history of timely loan repayments using Aadhaar-linked information.

To apply for a digital Kisan Credit Card loan, a farmer must first create an account on the Jan Samarth portal using a registered mobile number and provide digital consent for the required information to be shared with the portal and participating banks.

The digital Kisan Credit Card Crop Loan application and onboarding process requires farmers to log in through OTP authentication and select the KCC Crop Loan scheme, along with their respective state and district details.

Along with other details, the geo-coordinates of agricultural land are also verified with details of existing KCC and other agricultural loans, as well as land-related liabilities, to prevent duplicate or multiple financing.

The digital platform further verifies whether the farmer’s bank account has active KYC status, whether the required UPI and other account mappings are maintained and whether the applicant meets the eligibility criteria prescribed by the respective bank.

After completing the verification process, the farmer’s land records are digitally collected and analysed. The final loan amount is then determined based on factors such as the extent of land and the crops being cultivated.

The agriculture department, bank managers and a Central government team from Delhi are coordinating with farmers and organising meetings at Rythu Seva Kendras across the district to ensure smooth implementation of the pilot project and help farmers complete the digital loan application process.

The technology-driven system is expected to mark a major transformation in agricultural credit delivery in Anakapalli district by reducing paperwork, improving transparency and ensuring that eligible farmers receive timely financial assistance.