Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana

 Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana

Why in mews 

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana, or PMDDKY, to 

• enhance agricultural productivity 
• 
  
• and increase adoption of sustainable agricultural practices across the country.

The scheme was announced in the Union Budget for 2025-26.

merged 36 schemes of 11 Ministries into the PMDDKY

After the Cabinet meeting, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told presspersons that the Centre had merged 36 schemes of 11 Ministries into the PMDDKY, 

which will have an outlay of ₹24,000 crore per year for six years beginning 2025-26. “This scheme will help 1.7 crore farmers,” he said.

A release said the scheme aims at augmenting 

• post-harvest storage at the panchayat and block levels, 
• 
  
• improving irrigation facilities, 
• 
  
• and facilitating availability of long-term and short-term credit.

Across 11 departments

“The scheme will be implemented through convergence of 36 existing schemes across 11 departments, 

other State schemes, and local partnerships with the private sector... 

पात्रता 

100 districts will be identified based on three key indicators of 

• low productivity, 
• 
  
• low cropping intensity, 
• 
  
• and less credit disbursement,” the release said.

The scheme would benefit at least one district each State.

“The number of districts in each State/Union Territory will be based on the share of Net Cropped Area and operational holdings.

 However, a minimum of one district will be selected from each State,” the release added.

बेस्ड ऑन 

The scheme is modelled on the “Aspirational District Programme” of the Centre.

Mr. Vaishnaw said the “first-of-its-kind” scheme would focus exclusively on agriculture and allied sectors.

Committees 

for effective planning, implementation and monitoring of the scheme will be formed at district, State, and national levels.

District Dhan Dhaanya Samiti

“A District Agriculture and Allied Activities Plan will be finalised by the District Dhan Dhaanya Samiti, which will also have progressive farmers as members. 

The district’s plans will be aligned to the national goals of 

• crop diversification, 
• 
  
• conservation of water 
• 
  
• and soil health, 
• 
  
• self-sufficiency in agriculture and allied sectors, 
• 
  
• as well as expansion of natural and organic farming,” 
• 
  
•  scheme’s progress will be monitored on a monthly basis.

The government hopes that the scheme will result in higher productivity, value addition in agriculture and allied sectors, and local livelihood creation while increasing domestic production and achieving self-reliance.

‘Significant step’

Abhishek Jain, Fellow and Director, Green Economy and Impact Innovations, Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), said the 

scheme was a significant step toward boosting agricultural performance in India’s under-performing districts 

by emphasising not only 

• productivity 
• 
  
• but also resilience through crop diversification, 
• 
  
• allied activities, 
• 
  
• value addition, 
• 
  
• soil health, 
• 
  
• and water use efficiency.

“However, district selection could be improved by using annual net agricultural income per hectare,” he said, 

adding that the scheme should not focus on low-credit disbursement as an indicator for district selection.

“A resilient agriculture system should not be dependent on credit. 

Instead, as we expand and diversify income streams for farmers via allied and value-added activities, 

and as we mainstream more sustainable agriculture practices, the reliance on external credit to fund cultivation cycles should come down, while still enhancing incomes for the farmers,” he said.