Chandigarh: Punjab Agriculture and Farmers Welfare minister, Gurmeet Singh Khudian today informed that the Punjab government has mapped over 85,000 in-situ and ex-situ Crop Residue Management (CRM) machines on the “Unnat Kisan” Mobile App, a one-stop platform designed to make these machines more easily accessible to small and marginal farmers for promoting sustainable agriculture practices and reducing air pollution.
Divulging the details about a flagship digital initiative, Khudian said that this initiative enables farmers to easily book CRM machines through their mobile phones from comfort of their homes.
He said each machine is geo-tagged according to the cultivated land area, facilitating monitoring and documentation of residue management activities.
The Agriculture Minister further highlighted the App’s robust ecosystem, supported by over 5,000 Village Level Facilitators (VLFs) and Cluster Officers (COs) who provide on-ground assistance to farmers and monitor activities.
The platform promotes inclusivity by allowing private owners of CRM machines to register their equipment, expanding the available inventory. support. For enhanced community support, the VLFs can also book machines on behalf of farmers, ensuring that no farmer is left behind.
Khudian emphasised the App’s sophisticated backend, featuring a real-time dashboard that enables precise monitoring of machine utilisation and field officers activities.
This ensures accountability, swift issue resolution and optimal resource deployment, ultimately benefiting the farming community during critical harvesting periods. The dashboard’s effectiveness in tracking and managing resources enhances the overall efficiency of crop residue management initiatives.
Khudian urged farmers to utilise the “Unnat Kisan” App, attributing to its farmer-centric design.