Nobel E-NAM for a Smart Kissan

In the fields of green, where the sun shines with its brightest light,

The farmers toil from morning till midnight,

Their hands in soil, their hearts full of hope,

As they plant their seeds and tend their grove.

For ages, they’ve worked with sweat and tears,

To feed the world and calm its fears,

But now, a new dawn is on the rise,

As technology unlocks a new surprise.

With eNAM, the farmers find,

A world of buyers of every kind.

From the dawn of human civilization, It is one field which has played the most important factor in shaping and nourishing the world through its just existence. Agriculture has just not shaped society,but has provided sustenance and livelihoods for countless communities throughout the country and around the world. India, which is frequently called the ‘land of agriculture’, has a long and rich history of being an agrarian country. Majority of Indians have lived an agricultural lifestyle for centuries, from the fertile plains of Punjab to the lush green fields of Kerala. In India, the soil is not just the foundation for agriculture, but it’s the heart and soul of the nation, providing livelihoods for about 60% of the population. The custom of saying “Annadata Sukhi Bhavo” before and after every meal, showcases the contribution of the farmer, and helps in acknowledging their gratitude for the land and the farmers and their deep-rooted cultural heritage.

A farmer’s day begins well before the sun rises, and their dedication to the land is unmatched, setting them apart from corporate employees who start their day much later. But despite being the backbone of the society for years this field of occupation faced a long never ending phase of ignorance and remained underappreciated and undersupported. As the sands of time continued to shift from days to nights to years, the government eventually realized the need for political favoritism towards this field for creating a better pavement for farmers as they say or for their party in the context of developing society. And thus, began to showcase their support for the agricultural sector, albeit in a limited fashion, offering a mere hand to stand on but not the wings to soar, the government stood up for the agriculture sector. Nevertheless, as societies continued to evolve and develop, so did the agricultural policies that governed them. Governments began to recognize the crucial role of agriculture in ensuring food security, promoting sustainable practices, and providing support to farmers. These measures ushered in a new era of hope and prosperity for the agricultural sector. If one is discussing Agriculture policies, they have to undergo the long and complex history that has been shaped by political, economic, and social forces and marked by periods of innovation, experimentation, to understand it in depth. Agriculture policy has evolved over time to reflect the changing needs and aspirations of societies, from pre-modern farming methods to high-tech, sustainable agriculture practices.

Gone are those days when the farmers were considered to be the deprived class even with being the backbone of the country’s economy, they were the ones who suffered to the extreme and had to undergo a series of dependencies to prove their worth. The Smart ’Kisaans’ of today are way too smarter and go getter for their dreams. It is rightly said if you give the best of opportunities , the sky is no longer a limit for anyone. Post 2014, the changes have been seen in an expeditious phase, where not just the farmers but along with them the allied field supporting them and working parallel have developed to a greater extent.

The National Agriculture Policy of 2000 or the Green Revolution of 1960 were the ones that discussed agriculture in general terms throughout the year, but in 2016, the BJP-led central government took their responsibility towards serving the people in their zest and introduced a policy that changed the whole perspective about care and secure for farmers’ rights and privileges and not only elevated their worth to a new level but also promised about the life long commitment towards their presence. The Scheme named Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, a revolutionary towards securing their worth, was a crop insurance scheme that aimed to provide insurance coverage and financial support to farmers in case of crop loss due to natural calamities, pests, and diseases. In the era of insurance companies running away from their main responsibility of paying the desired amount for a human life, the government focused on a scheme which wholly and solely talked about a scheme which was securing the main crop for a farmer from all the naturally occurring calamities.

The Era was changing with the governments and the governance in the country when the Kisan Credit Card scheme was born, which focused on the government extending the helping hand to all those needy farmers, which provided credit support for various agricultural activities, including cultivation, post-harvest activities, and consumption requirements. This scheme aimed to provide easy access to credit and increase the financial inclusion of farmers.

As we delve into the realm of agricultural development, it is impossible to overlook the monumental impact of the e-NAM scheme. This innovative platform has transformed the traditional notions of agriculture, elevating it from a mere occupation focused solely on farming and crops to a dynamic sector ripe with opportunity. The e-NAM scheme has truly revolutionized the agricultural landscape by breaking down barriers and opening up new avenues of growth and prosperity. When the website was first launched in 2016, there were only 21 Mandis registered under it. By the year 2021, however, there were approximately 1093 Mandis recorded in it, expanding its territories to 18 states and three union territories. Even though the scheme primarily concentrated on the outer silver line of agriculture, it ultimately opened major avenues for all farmers.

With 1.7 million farmers, which was 73000 farmers in 2016, the number of Mandis increased, which contributed to sparking people’s interest in farming as a primary or secondary field of employment. PIt was rightly observed by a famous agriculturist that People’s mindsets and perceptions of one occupation changed after such a scheme was implemented. It opened those doors which were on the verge of getting closed. It definitely helped to engage more doors to the field. The e-NAM platform has helped farmers to realize better prices for their produce. According to a study by the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), farmers who sold their produce on the e-NAM platform received prices that were 4.2% higher than the minimum support price (MSP) in 2018-19. The scheme when launched only focused on Price realizations where the farmers have their own will and wish to sell their commodities at their desired prices or elimination of the whole process of having intermediaries, but by the years the scheme went on to focus on the new era of digitalization making the farmer truly ‘Atma Nirbhar’. It was a dream of Imagining a world where technology and traditional farming practices were coming together to revolutionize the agriculture sector. A world where farmers had access to cutting-edge technologies that can help them increase their yields, reduce wastage, and improve the quality of their produce.

But as we say, every good thing has a bad hidden side which may not be a bad one but definitely has a darker shadow which hampers its beauty in the journey of getting glorified. As the country continues to struggle with internet connectivity and digital payments getting successfully implemented throughout the country, the magnificent map for making E-NAM a success is being laid down. With approximately 1093 markets present, there are still markets that have not been registered through the website, resulting in a negative mark for its successful implementation. India, despite having a rural literacy rate of 60%, still faces a significant challenge in getting their hands on the workings of this website and must be educated for it, which appears to be lacking. The scheme focuses on certain commodities which have a good range for prices but still has to work on certain others to be included on their list. To understand the issue to the lowest level possible it was observed that the platform currently only covers a limited number of agricultural commodities, such as grains, pulses, and oilseeds. This means that farmers who produce other commodities, such as fruits and vegetables, are unable to benefit from the platform.

Nonetheless, the government’s agenda in instituting such schemes was to improve the status of farmers and their occupation, and it was futuristically successful. In terms of agricultural marketing, India has distinguished itself from other countries with the help of such platforms offering a unified national market, leveraging technology, providing transparent price discovery, reducing intermediaries, and government-backing for everything their true soldiers in terms of ‘God’ because the culture still says’ Anna-data’.With its ups and downs, the BJP-led Central Government definitely gave the nation and its GDP a true Nobel E- NAM.