Unique Identity Card Scheme Context: In 2024, the Central Government announced a Unique Identity Card Scheme for farmers. As a fundamental feature of this scheme, linking agricultural land with the Aadhaar number has been made mandatory. In Tamil Nadu, there is a total of 1.23 crore acres of agricultural land and 42.52 lakh farmers. Under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme which has been operational since 2019-21.57 lakh farmers in Tamil Nadu, who own less than 5 acres of land, are currently receiving benefits. Since it was discovered that ineligible individuals had been included as beneficiaries in this scheme, a need was felt to ensure the accuracy of beneficiary identification. Furthermore, allegations arose that subsidized fertilizers were being diverted for industrial use rather than for agriculture; this further reinforced the need for stricter regulatory controls. In this regard, although the previously launched Soil Health Card Scheme attempted to streamline fertilizer usage, it did not achieve the expected level of success. Therefore, the primary objective of the current Unique Identity Card Scheme is to prevent the leakage and misuse of subsidies. Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) is a Central Sector Scheme of the Government of India. The scheme was launched in February 2019 and was implemented with retrospective effect from December 1, 2018. Subject to certain exclusion criteria, this scheme aims to provide financial assistance to land-holding farmer families across the country to help them meet expenses related to agriculture, allied activities, and domestic needs. Under this scheme, an annual sum of ₹6,000 is deposited directly into the bank accounts of farmers in each financial year, in three equal installments of ₹2,000 each (April–July, August–November, and December–March), through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode.
