Is NAFED a public authority under the RTI Act? It is a cooperative society, not a government department.

Yes. NAFED (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd.) is a public authority under Section 2(h) of the RTI Act, 2005. Although NAFED is a multi-state cooperative society registered under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002, it is substantially financed by the Central Government and functions as the nodal agency for the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare for implementing the Price Support Scheme (PSS) and the PM-AASHA (Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay SanraksHan Abhiyan) across states. The Supreme Court and Central Information Commission have consistently held that bodies substantially financed, controlled, or appointed by the government — directly or indirectly — fall within the definition of 'public authority'. NAFED receives government funds for PSS operations and implements government policy; it is therefore legally obligated to respond to RTI applications.

My token number was issued but I have not received MSP payment for over two months. What should my RTI specifically ask for?

Your RTI should ask: (1) the current status of your token number — whether produce was weighed, graded, and accepted; (2) whether a payment order has been raised in your name and your bank account details registered on the NAFED procurement portal; (3) the date on which the payment was processed or the reason and authority responsible for the delay; (4) the prescribed payment disbursement timeline under NAFED's PSS operational guidelines and whether that deadline has been breached for your token. Additionally, ask for the name and designation of the officer responsible for payment processing at your district/state level. This gives you both documentary proof of the delay and the officer accountable — useful for a complaint to the District Collector or the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare if the delay continues.

My registration was rejected before I could sell my crop at the procurement centre. Can RTI tell me why?

Yes. RTI can compel NAFED to provide the specific ground on which your registration was rejected — for example, whether it was due to non-matching land records, duplicate registration, crop not eligible under PSS for that season, or centre capacity being reached. Ask in your RTI for: (1) the written reason for rejection of your registration; (2) the provision or circular under which the rejection was made; (3) the total number of registrations rejected in your district for that season and crop; (4) whether a grievance or appeal mechanism exists for rejected registrations and who the competent authority is. With this, you can either correct the specific deficiency or approach the grievance authority of the State Nodal Agency for PSS in your state.

NAFED is a national body. Which state handles PSS at the ground level and do I RTI NAFED or the state government?

PSS procurement under PM-AASHA is a joint operation: the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare issues policy and allocates funds centrally; NAFED acts as the Central nodal agency; actual ground-level procurement is carried out through State Nodal Agencies (SNAs) — typically the state government's marketing board or civil supplies corporation — in coordination with NAFED. For information about national-level data (total procurement volumes, MSP rates, state-wise totals, payment policies), file RTI with NAFED through rtionline.gov.in. For district-level procurement details, your specific token or registration status, or state-level operational decisions, file RTI with the State Nodal Agency through your state's RTI portal. Both NAFED and the State Nodal Agency are public authorities — you can file with both simultaneously if needed.

What if NAFED does not respond to my RTI within 30 days?

If NAFED does not provide the information or gives an unsatisfactory response within 30 days: File a First Appeal with the First Appellate Authority (FAA) at NAFED within 30 days of the date of decision or expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable, under Section 19(1) of the RTI Act. If the First Appeal is also unsatisfactory or not decided within 30 days, file a Second Appeal with the Central Information Commission (CIC) within 90 days of the FAA's decision or the expiry of the FAA's 30-day window — under Section 19(3). NAFED, as a Central Government nodal agency, is subject to the CIC's jurisdiction. The CIC can impose penalties under Section 20 of the RTI Act on the CPIO for failure to provide information without reasonable cause.

Home/Guides/How to File RTI for NAFED Farmer Procurement and MSP — PSS Volumes, Payment Status and Token Tracking

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How to File RTI for NAFED Farmer Procurement and MSP — PSS Volumes, Payment Status and Token Tracking

Step-by-step guide to file an RTI with the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED) under the Price Support Scheme (PSS) and PM-AASHA — covering state-wise procurement volumes for pulses and oilseeds, MSP rates applied, payment disbursement timelines, procurement centre locations, and registration or token number status. Includes a ready-to-use sample RTI draft.

Updated 1 Jun 2026

Quick Facts

MinistryMinistry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare

Address RTI ToCPIO, NAFED, NAFED House, Siddhartha Enclave, Ashram Chowk, New Delhi – 110014

Application Fee₹10 under RTI (Regulation of Fee and Cost) Rules, 2005. Free for BPL cardholders.

Response Time30 days from receipt (Section 7(1), RTI Act 2005). 48 hours if the matter involves life or liberty.

File Online Athttps://rtionline.gov.in

All information on this page is based on the Right to Information Act, 2005 (Act No. 22 of 2005) and the RTI (Regulation of Fee and Cost) Rules, 2005. First Appeal: Section 19(1). Second Appeal to CIC/SIC: Section 19(3).

The National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) is the Central Government's primary nodal agency for implementing the Price Support Scheme (PSS) under the Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay SanraksHan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA) for pulses, oilseeds, and copra. When market prices fall below the Minimum Support Price (MSP) declared by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, NAFED steps in to procure directly from farmers at MSP — protecting their income. For crores of farmers across India, PSS procurement can be the difference between a viable harvest season and a loss-making one.

NAFED is a public authority under Section 2(h) of the RTI Act, 2005. Although it is a multi-state cooperative society registered under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002, NAFED is substantially financed by the Central Government, acts under its direction, and implements national agricultural policy. It is fully subject to RTI obligations and must respond to applications within 30 days.

NAFED's Role in PSS and PM-AASHA

Feature	Detail
Crops covered	Pulses (tur, moong, urad, chana, masur), oilseeds (mustard, groundnut, sunflower, soybean, sesame, safflower, niger seed), copra
Trigger	Market price falls below MSP in a state/district — State Government requests Centre to activate procurement
MSP basis	Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) notifies MSP each season (Kharif/Rabi)
Payment	Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to farmer's Aadhaar-linked bank account, usually within a prescribed number of days of procurement
Portal	NAFED coordinates through state nodal agencies; farmer registration and token issuance at designated procurement centres

Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (Policy, MSP notification, funding)
        ↓
NAFED (Central nodal agency — procurement planning, stock management, payment oversight)
        ↓
State Nodal Agency (State marketing board / civil supplies corporation — ground operations)
        ↓
District Procurement Centre (Token issuance, weighing, grading, acceptance)
        ↓
Farmer (Receives MSP payment via DBT)

What RTI Can Uncover

Farmers, farmer organisations, journalists, and researchers regularly use RTI to obtain data that NAFED rarely publishes in granular form. The following categories of information are within NAFED's legal obligation to disclose:

Procurement volumes and MSP rates:

State-wise and crop-wise quantity (metric tonnes) procured under PSS/PM-AASHA in a given season
MSP rate (₹ per quintal) applied for each crop and the CCEA notification number it is based on
Season-wise cumulative procurement data over multiple years for a particular crop

Procurement centre operations:

District-wise list of active procurement centres in a state — names, addresses, and period of operation
Whether a particular centre was authorised to procure a specific crop in a given season
Maximum daily intake or quota limits imposed at a centre, if any

Payment disbursement:

Prescribed number of days for payment from the date of acceptance of produce at a centre
Number of farmers paid within the prescribed timeline vs. those with delayed payments in a state/season
Whether a particular token number has been processed and payment dispatched

Registration and token tracking:

Status of a farmer's registration: accepted, rejected, or pending
Reason for rejection of a registration or token
Number of registrations received, accepted, and rejected in a district for a crop and season

Grievances and accountability:

Number of farmer complaints received regarding delayed payments or token rejection in a state
Number of complaints resolved and average resolution time

Step-by-Step: How to File RTI with NAFED

Step 1 — Gather your details before filing. Have your token or registration number, the name of the procurement centre, the crop sold, the season, and the approximate date of procurement or registration ready. Even if you do not have a token number (e.g., your registration was rejected), note the date of application and district.

Step 2 — Go to rtionline.gov.in. Select "Submit Request" and search for the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. Under that ministry, select NAFED as the public authority.

Step 3 — Draft your request clearly. State each question as a numbered item. Reference your token/registration number in the preamble. The sample RTI below can be used as a template.

Step 4 — Pay ₹10. Pay online via the portal (net banking, debit/credit card). BPL cardholders are exempt — attach a copy of your BPL card. Keep the receipt and registration number.

Step 5 — Wait 30 days. NAFED must respond within 30 days under Section 7(1) of the RTI Act. If the information concerns life or liberty, the deadline is 48 hours.

Step 6 — File a First Appeal if needed. If NAFED does not respond or the response is incomplete, file a First Appeal with the First Appellate Authority at NAFED within 30 days of the date of decision or expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable (Section 19(1)).

Appeals

First Appeal (Section 19(1)): File with the First Appellate Authority (FAA) at NAFED within 30 days of the date of decision or expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable.

Second Appeal (Section 19(3)): NAFED is a Central Government nodal agency; its second appeals lie with the Central Information Commission (CIC). File within 90 days of the FAA's decision or the expiry of the FAA's 30-day window. The CIC can impose penalties under Section 20 on the CPIO for unjustified non-disclosure.

Sample RTI Application Draft

To,
The Central Public Information Officer (CPIO),
NAFED (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd.),
NAFED House, Siddhartha Enclave,
Ashram Chowk, New Delhi – 110014

Subject: Application under the Right to Information Act, 2005 — PSS/PM-AASHA Procurement Data, MSP Rates, Payment Disbursement Timeline and Registration/Token Status

Sir/Madam,

I, [Your Full Name], residing at [Your Full Address], submit this application under Section 6 of the Right to Information Act, 2005, to seek the following information:

Applicant/farmer details (if applicable):
  Name: [Full Name]
  Registration / Token Number: [No., if any]
  Crop sold: [e.g., Moong Dal / Mustard / Groundnut]
  State and District: [State Name], [District Name]
  Season and Year: [e.g., Kharif 2025-26 / Rabi 2025-26]
  Procurement Centre Name: [Name, if known]

Information sought:

1. The state-wise and crop-wise total quantity (in metric tonnes) of pulses and oilseeds procured by NAFED under the Price Support Scheme (PSS) / PM-AASHA during [Season and Year], and the corresponding Minimum Support Price (MSP) rate (₹ per quintal) applied for each crop during that procurement season.

2. The district-wise list of all PSS/PM-AASHA procurement centres operated by or on behalf of NAFED in [State Name] during [Season and Year], including the name, address, and period of operation of each centre.

3. The standard timeline (number of days) prescribed by NAFED or the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare for disbursement of MSP payment to a farmer's bank account from the date of procurement/delivery at a PSS procurement centre — and whether this timeline was met for procurements carried out in [State Name] during [Season and Year].

4. The current status of registration number / token number [No.] issued to farmer [Name] for sale of [Crop] at [Procurement Centre], [District], [State] during [Season and Year] — whether the produce has been weighed, accepted, and payment processed; if payment is pending, the reason for delay and the expected disbursement date.

5. The total number of farmer registrations received, number of registrations accepted, and number of registrations rejected or pending under PSS/PM-AASHA for [Crop] in [State Name] during [Season and Year] — along with the reasons for rejection, if any.

6. Whether NAFED has received any complaints from farmers in [State Name] regarding delayed MSP payments or rejection of token numbers for [Season and Year], and if so, the number of such complaints received and the number resolved.

I am enclosing the application fee of Rs. 10 [via online payment; Reference No.: [Payment Ref]].

I request the above information within 30 days as required under Section 7(1) of the RTI Act, 2005.

Yours sincerely,

[Your Full Name]
[Your Complete Address]
Phone: [Your 10-digit Mobile Number]
Email: [[email protected]]
Date: [DD/MM/YYYY]

Replace all text in [square brackets] with your actual details before filing. Do not include the brackets in your submission.

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