Karnataka govt plans to link RTCs with Aadhaar to identify small, marginal farmers

Belagavi: Karnataka is planning to link all Records of Rights, Tenancy and Crops (RTC) with Aadhaar as a “permanent solution” to identify small and marginal farmers for the purposes of disbursing relief measures, Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said Monday.

This move will have other ramifications such as curbing land-related frauds and ensuring certainty when it comes to ownership. 

Replying to the debate on drought in the Assembly, Gowda said the Union government’s data showed 44 per cent of Karnataka’s farmers to be small and marginal (having less than two hectares of land).

“In reality, 70 per cent of the state’s farmers are small and marginal,” Gowda said. “We have urged the Centre to calculate drought compensation with Aadhaar-based data we have provided on small and marginal farmers,” he said.

“As a permanent solution to this problem, we are thinking of linking all RTCs with Aadhaar and use Aadhaar authentication,” Gowda told the Assembly. 

The RTC, also known as pahani, contains information such as owners’ details, area, soil type, nature of possession of the land, encumbrance, crops grown and so on. 

Apparently, Andhra Pradesh has Aadhaar-linked RTCs. Speaking to DH later, Gowda said that Aadhaar linking alone will not suffice. “Unless Aadhaar authentication is done, we can’t prevent frauds in land transactions,” he said. “Also, when it comes to bringing certainty in the ownership of land, Aadhaar is one method.”

In the Assembly, Gowda said the government is in the process of “end-to-end automation” in compensation disbursal to farmers. Until now, data entry operators would enter names of the beneficiaries giving much scope of irregularities, he said, citing one instance involving former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai’s brother. “Compensation meant for land registered in the name of then CM’s brother went to a namesake in some other district,” Gowda said. 

“Money will directly be credited to the beneficiary account without manual intervention,” Gowda said, adding that the new system will be effective later this week when the government will begin from Challakere taluk the disbursal of the first instalment of Rs 2,000 per farmer as crop loss compensation.

Lashing out at the Centre for its “apathy”, Gowda said Karnataka has not received NDRF funds. The Centre has not even responded to a dozen letters from the state seeking appointments with the Union ministers to discuss the drought situation, he rued. 

Defending his government’s efforts in handling the drought situation, Gowda said a survey of villages vulnerable to drinking water woes was done. He also said deputy commissioners have nearly Rs 900 crore to meet drought requirements. 

Quote - 70 per cent of the state's farmers are small and marginal. We have urged the Centre to calculate drought compensation with Aadhaar-based data we have provided on small and marginal farmers. Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda

Cut-off box - 70 per cent of the state's farmers are small and marginal. We have urged the Centre to calculate drought compensation with Aadhaar-based data we have provided on small and marginal farmers. -Krishna Byre GowdaRevenue Minister