55 orgs, groups write to govt seeking transparency on Agristack and other digital moves around agriculture Credit: Kisan Ekta Morcha Twitter As many as 55 organisations, collectives, and groups have written to Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, criticising the government’s recent projects around farmers and technology, particularly Agristack. The organisations include Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture (ASHA) – Kisan Swaraj, Article 21 Trust, Association For Democratic Rights (Punjab), IT for Change, Jai Kisan Andolan, Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS), South Indian Organic Producers and Retailers Association, Internet Freedom Foundation, among many others. Pointing to the memorandum of understanding between the Ministry and Microsoft, which the groups say allude to Agristack, the letter stated that the developments are taking place in a policy vacuum around data privacy of farmers and other related issues. On April 14, the government said it had signed an MoU with Microsoft to a pilot project in 100 villages “to develop farmer interface for smart and well-organized agriculture, including post-harvest management and distribution”. The release stated that the government is preparing a farmer database by integrating land records countrywide with PM Kisan, Soil Health Cards, and the Pradhan Mantri Crop Insurance Scheme as well as other data; geotagging of assets would also be done.