Odisha govt to identify fake farmers, e-KYC mandatory for paddy procurement registration

In a major move to weed out fake farmers, the Odisha government has decided to implement mandatory e-KYC verification for all farmers registering to sell their Kharif paddy. 

The verification process will include both fingerprint and iris scans to ensure authenticity.

According to Food Supplies Minister Krushna Chandra Patra, many non-genuine farmers have been found selling paddy in previous seasons. With the introduction of e-KYC, such fake entries can be identified and removed from the system.

The Minister has urged all genuine farmers to visit their respective societies and complete their e-KYC during the registration process for paddy procurement. The process will be carried out at each society level.

The initiative is aimed at ensuring that only genuine farmers benefit from government procurement schemes. 

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"All the farmers are requested to complete e-KYC when the registration process starts this year. Following the completion of e-KYC, we will be able to know about all the genuine farmers. Thus, all the fake farmers could be identified and removed from the system," said Food Supplies Minister Krushna Chandra Patra.

"Many fake farmers have been registering to sell paddy. We will be able to remove them by completing e-KYC. All the farmers are requested to submit their Aadhaar cards and bank details properly so that money can be easily transferred to their accounts," he added.