1, 250 private residents to take up crop survey in DK

Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Sasikanth Senthil on Monday appealed to farmers to cooperate with private residents, appointed by district administration, to conduct a crop survey with help of a mobile app.

He told reporters that the district administration has appointed 1,250 private residents in 422 villages to conduct the survey. Village accountants had been asked to conduct the survey last year. As the village accountants could not focus on any other official work during the period, it was decided to hire private residents. A private resident will be paid Rs 10 per plot of survey. Each village will have two to three private residents to take up the survey, he explained.

He said the government has been encouraging farmers to enter the details of the crops they grow in their RTCs with a few clicks on an android app on the survey. As farmers are yet to familarise themselves with the technology, the private residents have been appointed to take up the survey, he said.

Senthil said the accurate information on crops will help farmers while applying for loan, claiming insurance and while getting compensation for crop loss. The app is linked to the Bhoomi (online delivery and management of land records project in Karnataka) and the information uploaded by the farmers will be reflected in their RTCs. Through the app, the private residents or farmers can enter the type of crops – single or mixed – the extent of the land along with the pictures taken on the mobile phone.

The survey will also help government to gain an insight on the types of crops being cultivated across the state, which in turn, will help in calculating the production. It will also help the government to understand new varieties of crops that are being cultivated and crop varieties that are on the verge of extinction, he said.

If the farmers’ association or society comes forward to take up the survey in a particular village, then they can do so by informing the district administration, he said.

All private residents have been provided with an identity card for the purpose, he added.