Regional Councils must physically inspect their Local Groups, not only read their paperwork. The Revised PGS-India Guidelines 2023 set how often, and missing the quota brings sanctions on the RC. This episode covers planning inspections, recording them, and handling findings that differ from the peer appraisal.
The short version
- First inspection within 12 months of a group's registration.
- Then at least once every 24 months, and at least 50% of groups every year.
- Format-10 is the RC's inspection report.
- Raise real problems as non-compliances; never edit the group's appraisal.
Understanding the RC Physical Inspection Requirement
Inspect each group within a year of registration, then at least every two years, and at least half your groups every year.
Under the PGS-India operational guidelines, peer appraisals are initially conducted by neighboring farmers within a Local Group. The Regional Council then checks the groups' work through its own physical inspections. RCs must physically evaluate at least 50% of their registered Local Groups every year, and every group at least once in two years.
This verification applies to groups under schemes such as Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY), National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF), and Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region (MOVCDNER). When planning the year, list your groups by the date of their last physical inspection: newly registered groups approaching their first-year deadline, and groups approaching two years since their last visit, go to the front of the queue.
Each Local Group needs its first RC physical inspection within one year of registration and at least one every two years after that; at least 50% of an RC's groups must be physically evaluated every year.
Step-by-Step Portal Entry for RC Physical Verification
Record the date, inspector, plots seen, findings and the signed Format-10 report on the portal.
Entering inspection records accurately on pgsindia-ncof.gov.in requires systematic data entry. Follow these steps to log field verification results for selected Local Groups:
- Log into the official PGS-India portal using your Regional Council credentials.
- Open the inspection section of your dashboard (the menu name may differ).
- Select the target Local Group from your active group directory.
- Choose the farmers whose plots were visited during the inspection.
- Enter the physical field verification date and the name of the assigned RC inspector.
- Input observed field details, including verified plot area, survey numbers, and current crop species.
- Record any non-compliances found during the physical site visit, such as unapproved input usage or missing border buffers.
- Upload the signed inspection report. Format-10 in the official guidelines is the prescribed format for an RC's physical inspection of a Local Group.
- Save and submit the inspection record so the group's inspection date is on file.
Review the timeline rules in Every PGS-India Deadline: RC, Local Group, Zonal Council to ensure your submissions align with council reporting windows.
When Your Findings Differ from the Peer Appraisal
Decide whether a difference is a data error or a real non-compliance; raise real ones formally.
A common operational challenge occurs when field findings differ from the original peer appraisal summary uploaded by the Local Group. If a peer appraisal lists a farm as fully compliant, but your physical check reveals missing buffer zones or mismatched crop records, entering conflicting data can cause validation errors.
To handle mismatches without causing unnecessary group suspensions:
- Verify whether the mismatch is a data entry error or an actual field non-compliance.
- If land area differs due to measurement units, standardise the figure into hectares before submission.
- If prohibited inputs were found, issue a formal non-compliance notice on the portal rather than editing the peer appraisal.
- Ensure that crop names entered match the crop master list used on the PGS-India portal.
Auditing farmer records manually requires time and attention to detail. Verifying plot details, crop entries, and appraisal summaries takes roughly three minutes per farmer record.
For a sample of 20 farmers in one Local Group, this takes one hour. For an RC managing 500 farmers across multiple districts, manual verification logging takes about 25 hours of direct portal entry during every certification cycle.
Check yourself
Tap an answer to see whether you are right, and why.
An RC has 40 groups. How many must it physically evaluate this year, at minimum?
- 10
- 20
- 40
At least 50% of groups every year.
Your inspection finds a missing buffer zone that the peer appraisal did not mention. What do you do?
- Edit the peer appraisal
- Record a non-compliance
- Ignore it
Raise it formally; the group's own record stays as submitted.
Remember these things
- First inspection within 12 months of registration.
- At least 50% of groups every year.
- Use Format-10 for the report.
- Close non-compliances before endorsing the group's decision.
Inspections planned against the quota keep the RC clear of sanctions. KrushiFlow validates these fields and submits farmer records to the portal in bulk.