Avinash Azad
The much-hyped “Daksh Kisan” scheme, aimed at empowering farmers through online educational resources, has come under scrutiny for alleged fraudulent practices within the Agriculture Department.
Promoted as a transformative initiative, the scheme’s online portal, dakshkisan.jk.gov.in, boasts 158,529 registered farmers. It offers over 121 certificate courses with multilingual content to enhance the skills of farmers and agri-preneurs. However, insiders and ground reports reveal that these numbers are artificially inflated, with the department’s staff themselves attending these courses to meet administrative targets.
Manipulation to Inflate Numbers
In the district of Jammu, Udhampur, Rajouri, Poonch, Samba several discrepancies have emerged. The prescribed ratio of one Agriculture Extension Assistant (AEA) per panchayat is grossly violated. Currently, one AEA oversees 2-4 circles, each consisting of three panchayats. This severe understaffing directly impacts the implementation of the scheme and its purported goals.
Instead of farmers benefiting from the Daksh Kisan portal, field staff have been directed to attend online courses on their behalf. Reports from other districts, including Jammu, indicate that staff members are making 5-10 entries each day on behalf of farmers, further raising questions about the authenticity of the portal’s user data.
Staff Substituting Farmers
The Daksh Kisan scheme’s intention to upskill farmers is being undermined by the department’s manipulation. Field staff, under pressure from district administrations, are completing online courses from their homes. Farmers, who were meant to gain practical knowledge and skills, remain uninvolved and unaware of these activities. The courses’ completion certificates are logged in the portal, but the intended beneficiaries—the farmers—derive no benefit.
Portal Flaws and Administrative Pressures
The Daksh Kisan portal itself has been criticized for technical flaws and accessibility issues, making it difficult for farmers to navigate. According to insiders, the pressure to meet performance metrics has led to these unethical practices. A senior agriculture official, on condition of anonymity, admitted, “We are forced to show inflated numbers to present a picture of success, even though the reality on the ground is different.”
Calls for Accountability
The Agriculture Department’s approach undermines the scheme’s credibility and the trust of the farming community. Instead of addressing the staffing crisis and technical shortcomings, the focus appears to be on presenting skewed data to claim success.
The Daksh Kisan scheme, designed to empower farmers, risks becoming yet another failed initiative unless systemic flaws and corrupt practices are addressed swiftly and effectively. A questionnaire addressing the alleged manipulation to inflate the number of farmers on the Daksh Kisan Portal has been sent to the official email ID of the Principal Secretary, Agriculture Production Department. Any response received will be updated accordingly.
Official response awaited
A questionnaire addressing the alleged manipulation to inflate the number of farmers on the Daksh Kisan Portal has been sent to the official email ID of the Principal Secretary, Agriculture Production Department. Any response received will be updated accordingly.
