Punjab Government Distributes 40 Tabs to Boost Seed Certification Transparency

In a major step towards enhancing transparency and efficiency in the seed certification process, the Punjab Government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has introduced modern handheld devices for its field staff to ensure that all operations under the SATHI portal are conducted digitally. Marking this initiative as a significant milestone in the state’s journey toward digitisation, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian on Thursday distributed 40 tablet devices to Seed Certification Officers and Assistants. The minister highlighted that equipping field staff with these devices will eliminate the need for manual paperwork and improve accountability. Officers will now be able to carry out real-time data entry directly from the field during inspections, ensuring greater accuracy and efficiency in the process. He further explained that the tablets will enable officers to capture the exact geographical location of fields through GPS, thereby enhancing transparency. Additionally, instant photography will allow real-time documentation of crop conditions, making it an integral part of official reports prepared on-site. The shift to digital reporting is also expected to minimise errors associated with handwritten documentation and facilitate the immediate generation and sharing of reports with farmers and higher authorities. To strengthen the system further, digital signatures of farmers will be obtained directly on the tablet screens. According to the minister, field mapping using GPS will ensure that all observations are accurately linked to the correct seed fields. The digital forms available on the devices will record key details such as crop type, isolation distance, presence of diseases, and the number of off-type plants. Emphasising the broader impact of the initiative, Khudian stated that the move will not only bring transparency to the seed certification process but also ensure that farmers receive high-quality certified seeds in a timely manner. Senior officials present at the event included Secretary Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Arshdeep Singh Thind, Director Gurjit Singh Brar, Director of Punjab State Seed Certification Authority Narinder Benipal, along with other departmental officers.