PSS Aadhaar biometric failure: Centre eases procurement rules for MP farmers
Synopsis
Fingerprint failures at procurement centres were quietly blocking Madhya Pradesh farmers from accessing the government's Price Support Scheme — so the Centre has stepped in with a nominee-based workaround. The fix is one-time and tightly guarded, but it also exposes a structural gap in Aadhaar-dependent welfare delivery that a directive for face and iris authentication is only beginning to address.
Key Takeaways
The Centre has granted a one-time relaxation under PSS for Madhya Pradesh farmers whose Aadhaar biometric authentication has failed repeatedly.
Affected farmers can now sell summer moong and urad through a nominated representative after mandatory verification.
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced the decision on 4 August via a post on X.
Payment will be credited only to the farmer's registered bank account , not to the nominee, as a misuse safeguard.
The Madhya Pradesh government and Central Nodal Agencies have been asked to develop face and iris authentication as alternative systems for future procurement.
The relaxation is limited strictly to summer 2026 PSS procurement of moong and urad in Madhya Pradesh.
The Centre has granted a one-time relaxation for farmers in Madhya Pradesh whose Aadhaar-based biometric authentication has repeatedly failed during procurement of summer moong and urad under the Price Support Scheme (PSS), ensuring they are not denied the minimum support price for their produce. The decision, announced on Tuesday, 4 August, allows eligible farmers to complete the sale through a nominated representative following a prescribed verification process.
What Triggered the Relaxation
Reports reaching the Union Agriculture Ministry indicated that a section of farmers in Madhya Pradesh were unable to complete PSS procurement because their fingerprints could not be authenticated despite multiple attempts at procurement centres. The failure left them at risk of missing out on the government's guaranteed support price for their summer crop.
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan confirmed the exemption in a post on X, stating: 'The Central Government has provided a special exemption for farmers whose Aadhaar-based biometric verification is repeatedly failing during procurement of summer moong and urad in Madhya Pradesh. Under this arrangement, they will be able to sell their produce through a nominated representative.'
How the Nominee System Works
Under the Union Agriculture Ministry's order, the relaxation is available only after all permissible biometric authentication attempts have been exhausted. The farmer must be physically present at the procurement centre, where identity verification is completed before a nominee is approved through an online process.
The nominated representative is then required to complete Aadhaar-based OTP e-KYC, biometric authentication, and photograph verification before the transaction can proceed. Critically, payment for the procured produce will be credited exclusively to the farmer's registered bank account — not to the nominee — a safeguard designed to prevent financial misuse.
Safeguards Against Misuse
Chouhan underscored the protective measures built into the arrangement: 'Verification and photograph of the farmer will be mandatory. OTP-based e-KYC and biometric verification of the representative will also be required. This facility will be available only in genuine and special circumstances, and the payment will go only to the farmer's bank account.'
The Ministry has made clear that the facility is strictly limited to cases of genuine authentication failure and is not a general bypass of Aadhaar-based procurement protocols.
Long-Term Fix in the Works
Beyond the immediate relief measure, the Centre has directed the Madhya Pradesh government and Central Nodal Agencies to develop alternative verification systems — including face authentication and iris authentication — to address recurring fingerprint failure cases in future procurement cycles.
This one-time relaxation applies solely to the procurement of summer moong and urad under PSS during the 2026 summer season in Madhya Pradesh. As biometric infrastructure at rural procurement centres comes under renewed scrutiny, the Centre's move signals a broader acknowledgement that last-mile authentication gaps can undermine welfare delivery for the farming community.
Point of View
But it underscores a systemic problem: Aadhaar biometric authentication — the backbone of India's welfare delivery architecture — repeatedly fails elderly and manual-labour farmers whose fingerprints are worn or unclear. A one-time nominee workaround for a single crop season in one state does not resolve that. The Centre's directive to develop face and iris authentication is the more consequential move, but it comes years after biometric exclusion from welfare schemes became a documented concern. The question is whether these alternatives will be deployed at scale before the next procurement season, or whether another ad hoc exemption will be needed.
NationPress
4 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the one-time PSS relaxation announced for Madhya Pradesh farmers?
The Centre has allowed farmers in Madhya Pradesh whose Aadhaar-based biometric authentication has failed during PSS procurement of summer moong and urad to complete the sale through a nominated representative. The relaxation applies only for the 2026 summer season and only after all permissible biometric attempts have failed.
Who announced this relaxation and when?
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced the decision on 4 August, confirming it via a post on X. The Union Agriculture Ministry issued the formal order detailing the verification process.
How does the nominee-based procurement process work?
The farmer must be physically present at the procurement centre and undergo identity verification. A nominee is then approved online and must complete Aadhaar-based OTP e-KYC, biometric authentication, and photograph verification before the transaction is finalised. Payment goes exclusively to the farmer's registered bank account.
What safeguards prevent misuse of the nominee facility?
The facility requires mandatory photograph and identity verification of the farmer, OTP-based e-KYC and biometric authentication of the nominee, and restricts payment solely to the farmer's bank account. It is available only in genuine cases where all biometric attempts have failed.
What long-term measures are being taken to fix Aadhaar biometric failures at procurement centres?
The Centre has directed the Madhya Pradesh government and Central Nodal Agencies to develop alternative verification systems, including face authentication and iris authentication, to handle fingerprint failure cases in future procurement cycles beyond the current one-time exemption.
