Hailakandi agriculture officer suspended after Farmer Registry review

The Assam government has suspended Hailakandi's District Agricultural Officer, Manoj Kumar Baishya, over what it called "severely negligible" progress in the Farmer Registry scheme in the district, The Assam Tribune reported on Saturday.

The action follows the suspension of five Agriculture Development Officers (ADOs) in Hailakandi earlier this week, which NEInsider reported on Friday.

What the order says

The suspension order was issued by the Agriculture Department on 30 October in the name of the Governor. It says the poor progress came to light at a review meeting chaired by Agriculture Minister Pijush Hazarika on 29 October.

Baishya, an Assistant Director of Agriculture who was holding charge as District Agricultural Officer, has been suspended under Rule 6(1) of the Assam Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1964, pending departmental proceedings.

The order says that as the district head of the department he was responsible for running and monitoring flagship schemes, including the Farmer Registry, and for meeting targets in every revenue circle. It alleges that he failed to supervise field officers, leading to low generation of Farmer IDs and the "widespread absence" of field staff during enrolment drives.

During the suspension his headquarters has been fixed at the office of the Joint Director of Agriculture in Silchar, and he cannot leave it without permission.

Eight registrations in a day

At Thursday's review, Hazarika criticised the district's figures and said the ADOs had admitted they had not gone to the field the previous day. According to the minister, only eight farmers were registered in Hailakandi on the day of the review, against 12 the day before.

He said every ADO was expected to spend three to four hours a day in the field, and warned that any complacency affecting farmers' welfare would invite strict action.

Why the registry matters

The Farmer Registry is part of the Centre's digital agriculture push. It gives each farmer a unique Farmer ID linked to land records, which is meant to make it easier to deliver schemes such as PM-KISAN, crop insurance and subsidies without repeated paperwork. States have been asked to complete enrolment quickly, and Assam has been running special drives.

The suspended officers have the right to respond in the departmental proceedings. No response from Baishya was available.