On October 26, 2018, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami launched the e-Adangal initiative at the Secretariat, under the Revenue and Disaster Management Department, to benefit farmers. Following this, on March 4, 2019, Revenue Minister R.B. Udayakumar, under the leadership of Revenue Commissioner Dr. K. Satyagopal and in the presence of Additional Chief Secretary Dr. Atulya Misra, introduced the e-Adangal mobile app and the Information Management System software. We discussed the e-Adangal with Dr. K. Satyagopal, who provided further insights.
“Adangal is a crop cultivation register. In each revenue village, village administrative officers (VAOs) have been manually recording crop cultivation details, crop yields, information on trees on government lands, and other relevant data. These records are reviewed by supervisory officers from the Revenue Department.
Similarly, officials from the Departments of Agriculture, Horticulture, Sericulture, and Statistics maintain separate registers to record crop cultivation details within their jurisdiction.
Monthly crop review meetings at the village, block, division, and district levels involve officials from the Revenue Department, Statistics Department, Agriculture Department, Horticulture Department, and Sericulture Department to reconcile these records.
Only after the district-level crop cultivation details are finalized are Adangal copies issued to farmers by the VAOs.
Historically, Adangal records have been maintained by VAOs and reviewed by higher officials in the Revenue Department. However, this system does not allow farmers to register or view their crop details directly. They could only appeal to higher officials in case of discrepancies.
To address these challenges and provide farmers with more control, the Tamil Nadu government has introduced the e-Adangal mobile app. This app enables farmers to register their crop details themselves. The e-Adangal system allows farmers to play a key role in maintaining accurate records.
The transition to e-Adangal simplifies the work of VAOs, allows farmers to record and view their crop details, and enables them to obtain Adangal copies. The e-Adangal can be used by farmers, revenue officials, agricultural officials, horticulture officials, and statistical officials.
Farmers can download the e-Adangal mobile app from the Google Play Store. Through this app, they can not only register their crop details but also upload photos of their crops.
Since farmers can directly input their crop information, they gain satisfaction and confidence. If there is any discrepancy between the farmer’s record and the VAO’s record, the system automatically flags the entry for review by higher officials.
Farmers can escalate any issues to the Revenue Divisional Officer, Sub-Collector, or District Revenue Officer.
Benefits
The crop data obtained through e-Adangal will be of high quality and accuracy, aiding in policy decisions at the government level. Farmers can download the Adangal copy anytime and from anywhere by paying a prescribed fee.
This will also facilitate easy access to crop loans. Farmers have the opportunity to record their crop details themselves.
During droughts and disasters, damage assessments can be done quickly and accurately, enabling timely compensation. The data collected will also help in designing plans for the development of farmers.
This app simplifies the tasks of the concerned officials, enabling easy monitoring of crop cultivation, trees on government lands, encroachments, and other details. It allows the registration of other land uses as well. Higher officials can also conduct field inspections and record crop details through this app.
Agricultural, horticultural, and sericulture officials can be included as stakeholders in this app, allowing them to record crop cultivation details in their respective areas and assist revenue officials in verifying crop areas during field inspections.
The data collected through this app will be useful in monitoring crop cultivation at the state level and estimating crop yields for various crops. This app has the potential to benefit millions of farmers,” he concluded.
M. Umapathi
