PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana: Transforming 100 Agricultural Districts

Context:
The Union Cabinet has approved the Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PMDDKY) to transform the agricultural landscape in India. This scheme aims to uplift 100 agricultural districts through the convergence of 36 schemes across 11 central ministries. It is inspired by the Aspirational Districts Programme of NITI Aayog and is the first national initiative focusing exclusively on agriculture and allied sectors.

Key Details:

• Launch Year: 2025–26

• Duration: 6 years

• Annual Budget: ₹24,000 crore

Objectives of PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana

• Announced in the Union Budget 2025.

• Focuses on districts with low agricultural productivity, moderate crop intensity, and limited credit access.

• The scheme has five major goals:

  • Improve agricultural productivity

  • Encourage crop diversification and sustainable farming practices

  • Develop post-harvest storage infrastructure at the panchayat and block level

  • Strengthen irrigation systems

  • Ensure access to both short-term and long-term credit

• The broader aim is to enhance local livelihoods, support self-reliance in agriculture, and improve national farming performance through focused interventions in lagging districts.

Criteria for Selection of Districts

• 100 districts will be selected using the following parameters:

  • Low agricultural productivity

  • Moderate cropping intensity

  • Below-average credit availability for farmers

• As per 2021–22 data, India’s average cropping intensity was 155%, with variation across states.

• The number of districts from each state or Union Territory will depend on:

  • The state's share of net cropped area

  • The number of farming households

• Every state/UT will have at least one district included in the scheme.

Implementation Mechanism

• A District Agriculture and Allied Activities Plan will be prepared for each of the 100 selected districts.

• The plan will be developed by the District Dhan-Dhaanya Samiti, chaired by the District Collector and involving progressive farmers.

• Plans will be formulated through consultations and based on local farming patterns and climate conditions.

• The key focus areas include:

  • Crop diversification

  • Water conservation

  • Soil health management

  • Self-sufficiency in agriculture

  • Promotion of natural and organic farming

• Committees will operate at the district, state, and national levels to oversee implementation.

• Central Nodal Officers (CNOs) will be appointed to:

  • Visit districts

  • Monitor field progress

  • Conduct reviews

• Agriculture universities (both central and state-level) will serve as knowledge partners to provide expert guidance.

Performance Ranking and Monitoring

• The model is inspired by the Aspirational Districts Programme (2018).

• It promotes:

  • Convergence of schemes

  • Collaboration between stakeholders

  • Competition through performance-based rankings

• All 100 districts will be ranked monthly based on 117 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

• These KPIs will assess progress in:

  • Agriculture

  • Water resources

  • Financial inclusion

  • Infrastructure

  • Skill development

• NITI Aayog will provide:

  • Technical guidance

  • Capacity-building support

• A dedicated digital portal/dashboard will be created to regularly track and display performance metrics of each district.