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Cabinet nod to scheme for agri sector in 100 districts
The Union cabinet approved the ₹24,000-crore PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana to enhance agriculture in 100 districts, benefiting 17 million farmers.
The Union cabinet on Wednesday chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PMDDKY), a ₹24,000-crore-a-year scheme to boost agriculture and allied sectors in 100 districts starting this financial year.
The scheme aims to enhance productivity, increase crop diversification and sustainable agricultural practices, while augmenting post-harvest storage at the panchayat and block levels, according to an official statement.
The programme follows an announcement in the Union Budget 2025-26 of a plan to develop 100 districts, which will be implemented through convergence of 36 existing plans across 11 departments, along with local partnerships with the private sector.
PMDDKY, modelled on NITI Aayog’s Aspirational Districts Programme, is the first scheme of its kind dedicated exclusively to enhancing farm productivity at the panchayat and block levels. It also envisions improvements in irrigation facilities and facilitate long-term and short-term credit to farmers.
“States will be partners. There will be constant monitoring of the scheme at the block level, district level, and state level. Technology partners will be appointed. All stakeholders related to agriculture will be consulted,” said Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union minister of information & broadcasting, briefing the media on the cabinet decisions.
“About 17 million farmers will benefit from the scheme in the next six years,” the minister said, adding that the implementation of the scheme will begin from August. Under the PMDDKY scheme, 100 districts across the country will be identified based on three key indicators—low agricultural productivity, low cropping intensity, and limited credit disbursement.
District-wise allocation will be determined by each state or Union Territory’s share of Net Cropped Area and operational holdings, with at least one district selected from every state.
The district 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.
The progress of the scheme in each Dhan-Dhaanya district will be monitored on 117 key indicators through a dashboard on monthly basis.
