AGR-4 (Farm Mechanization) Scheme for SC Farmers

What is the AGR-4 scheme for SC farmers?

AGR-4 (Farm Mechanization) Scheme for SC Farmers is a Gujarat state scheme of the Department of Agriculture, Farmers Welfare & Co-operation, Government of Gujarat. AGR-4 gives financial assistance to farmers of the Scheduled Caste category for buying agricultural equipment, with the object of raising crop production through mechanisation.

According to the government scheme description, the state's reasoning is that mechanisation lets a farmer get better quality produce, and more of it, at lower cost by making fuller use of land, water and the natural resources already available. AGR-4 was therefore launched across the state except in the 208 talukas where the centrally sponsored Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM) already operates, so the two schemes do not overlap. AGR-4 is 100% sponsored by the state government.

AGR-4 is the Scheduled Caste counterpart of AGR-3, which serves Scheduled Tribe farmers, and it sits alongside AGR-50, the tractor purchase scheme open to all Gujarat farmers.

What does AGR-4 pay for?

AGR-4 assistance is component-based. The equipment categories named in the official scheme description are:

• Power tillers
• Rice transplanters
• Self-propelled machinery
• Tractor or power-tiller operated implements and tools
• Electric-motor operated equipment

Each of these is opened on the iKhedut portal as a separate component, with its own assistance rate and its own ceiling for the financial year. Rates are revised periodically, so the AGR-4 component page on iKhedut in the year you apply is the authoritative source for what a specific machine attracts. What is constant is the mechanism: assistance is a share of the purchase cost subject to a cash cap, sanctioned against a pre-approval order, and paid into the beneficiary's bank account by Direct Benefit Transfer after purchase and verification.

Who is eligible for AGR-4, and who is not eligible?

You can get AGR-4 assistance if:

• You are a permanent resident of Gujarat.
• You are a farmer of the Scheduled Caste category, with a caste certificate from the competent authority.
• Your taluka is one of the 208 talukas where SMAM is not implemented, AGR-4 runs in the rest of the state.
• You buy the machine from the authorised dealer of a manufacturer included in the panel prepared through the department's periodic price-discovery exercise.
• You apply on iKhedut during the open window and confirm the application.

You are not eligible if:

• You do not belong to the Scheduled Caste category. Scheduled Tribe farmers apply under AGR-3; other farmers use the general components.
• You cannot produce a valid Scheduled Caste certificate from the competent authority.
• Your taluka is covered by the centrally sponsored SMAM scheme.
• You purchased the equipment before the pre-approval order was issued, or after the time limit in it expired.
• You bought from a dealer outside the empanelled manufacturer's authorised dealer network.
• Your application was saved but never confirmed on the portal.

Dealers, traders and institutions are not beneficiaries under AGR-4; the scheme is framed for individual cultivators.

How to apply for AGR-4 on the iKhedut portal

1. Open the iKhedut portal at https://ikhedut.gujarat.gov.in/ and go to the public scheme details page, then click "Click here for details" under Farming Schemes.
2. Choose the AGR-4 component for the machine you want. An Apply button appears only against components that are open for applications at that moment.
3. Read the instructions carefully, then answer "Are you a registered applicant?" with Yes or No and click "Click to proceed".
4. Click "Click to Apply Newly" and fill the form; personal details, caste certificate details, land details, the equipment requested, and your bank account.
5. Correct anything with "Click to Update Application" before you finalise; after confirmation, editing is closed.
6. Click "Click to confirm the application" and confirm it. Unconfirmed applications are not taken on the portal.
7. Print the confirmed application, sign it, and keep a copy for your records. Printing is enabled only after confirmation.
8. Submit the signed printout with the documents to the District Agriculture Officer of your district; the iKhedut contacts page lists every district office.
9. Buy the equipment only after the pre-approval order, within the period it allows, and then submit the assistance proposal with the invoice and all the evidence named in the pre-approval order.

What documents does AGR-4 require?

The official document list for AGR-4 is: a government-approved photo ID such as the Aadhaar card; evidence of land where applicable; a caste certificate issued by the competent authority; a disability certificate from the competent authority where relevant; a ration card where applicable; bank account details; and the beneficiary's undertaking or consent form. The purchase invoice and any document specifically named in the pre-approval order are added at the claim stage.

Two document points cause most trouble. The caste certificate must be issued by the competent authority and must be current. This is the document that places you inside AGR-4 rather than a general component. And the bank account must be in the applicant's own name, because DBT credits fail on a name mismatch even after sanction.

How do I check my AGR-4 application status?

Use the application-status facility on the public side of iKhedut with the application number printed on your confirmed application. For file movement, pre-approval and inspection queries, contact the District Agriculture Officer of your district, that office is the scheme officer for AGR-4 and its contact details are published on the iKhedut contacts page. Payment can be confirmed from your bank passbook or statement once the DBT credit is released.

Why do AGR-4 applications get rejected, and how do you fix it?

• Application saved but not confirmed, confirm before the window closes, or the application does not exist for the department.
• Caste certificate missing, outdated or from the wrong authority — obtain a fresh certificate from the competent authority before you apply.
• Taluka falls under SMAM; apply under the central scheme instead.
• Purchase before pre-approval, or after the pre-approval period lapsed, not curable; the claim will be rejected.
• Machine bought from an unauthorised dealer or a non-empanelled manufacturer, verify the panel list before booking.
• Wrong or incomplete uploads, deliver the correct documents to the concerned office within seven days of the application; otherwise the file is not inwarded.
• Bank account mismatch: update the passbook details with the district office to release a failed DBT.

What are the key dates and the grievance route?

AGR-4 does not run a year-round intake. Components are opened on iKhedut for notified periods each financial year, and the portal states that the online application must be submitted during the prescribed time. Check the iKhedut home page around the start of the kharif and rabi seasons, and remember that different components can open and close on different dates within the same year.

If something goes wrong, take the confirmed application printout and the district office acknowledgement to the District Agriculture Officer first. The next level of escalation is the Director of Agriculture under the Department of Agriculture, Farmers Welfare & Co-operation, Government of Gujarat. Where the grievance concerns caste-category classification rather than the agricultural merits of the file, the district Social Justice office that issued the certificate is the office to approach.