Description

Copyright infringement not intended

Picture Courtesy: PIB

Context:

The Union Cabinet approved the Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PMDDKY), to boost agricultural productivity, promote sustainable practices, and improve the livelihoods of farmers.

PM DHAN-DHAANYA KRISHI YOJANA (PMDDKY)

What is the PMDDKY?

It focuses exclusively on agriculture and its allied sectors, including livestock, dairy, and fisheries.

It was first announced in the Union Budget 2025–26, to catalyse growth in 100 agri-districts, with an outlay of ₹24,000 crore for a period of six years starting FY 2025–26.

It draws inspiration from NITI Aayog's highly successful Aspirational Districts Programme, and is projected to benefit 1.7 crore small and marginal farmers.

Aspirational Districts Programme

Launched in 2018 , to target 112 most socio-economically underdeveloped districts, aiming for their swift and effective transformation.
It is anchored by NITI Aayog in partnership with state governments and district level administrations.
It targets five broad socio-economic themes: Health & Nutrition, Education, Agriculture & Water Resources, Financial Inclusion & Skill Development, and Infrastructure.

What Are the Core Principles Guiding ADP?

Convergence of Central & State Schemes => To ensure efficient use of resources.
Collaboration Between Centre, States, District Administration, & Citizens => To ensure grassroot participation in planning and execution to reflect local needs.
Competition Among Districts based on Performance (Delta Ranking)
Data-Driven Governance

The Aspirational Blocks Programme (ABP)

It was announced in the Union Budget 2022-23, an extension of the ADP.
It targets 500 blocks for rapid and sustained improvement in socio-economic parameters.

What are the core objectives PMDDKY aims to achieve?

Enhance Agricultural Productivity => Tackles issues such as low agricultural productivity, low cropping intensity, and limited access to credit in identified districts.

Inclusive Growth => Reduce regional imbalances in farming output and credit availability, to ensure more equitable growth across the country.

Promote Sustainable Practices => Encourages farmers to diversify their crops and adopt sustainable farming methods, including organic and natural farming.

Expand Post-Harvest Storage => Improve and expand post-harvest storage facilities at the panchayat and block levels.

Improve Irrigation Facilities => Enhance irrigation infrastructure to ensure better water availability for crops.

Facilitate Credit Access => Make both long-term and short-term credit more easily available to farmers, to strengthen their financial inclusion

How does PMDDKY select districts for intervention?

Indicators for Selection => Districts having low agricultural productivity, low cropping intensity, and less credit disbursement qualify for the scheme.

Geographic Coverage => Minimum one district from every state and Union Territory participates.

Proportional Allocation => Number of districts allocated per state depends on their net cropped area and the number of operational land holdings.

What is the convergence model PMDDKY employs?

It integrates 36 existing central schemes from 11 different ministries, also incorporates relevant state schemes and promotes local private sector partnerships, to create a unified and holistic approach to agricultural development.

Notable central schemes like Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) and PM Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) will also be subsumed within PMDDKY.

What is the planning and governance structure for PMDDKY?

Committees => At the District, State, and National levels oversee its implementation.

District Dhan Dhaanya Samiti => Chaired by the District Collector or Gram Panchayat, will finalize the District Agriculture and Allied Activities Plan.

It will align with national goals, to promote crop diversification, water and soil conservation, self-sufficiency, and organic farming.

Agricultural Universities function as essential technical knowledge partners, to provide expertise and support.

NITI Aayog's Role => Provides overall guidance, capacity building, and regular reviews of district-level plans.

What are the expected outcomes and benefits of PMDDKY?

Higher Productivity & Value Addition in agriculture and allied sectors.

Enhance domestic production and promote agricultural self-reliance, aligning with the "Atmanirbhar Bharat" vision.

Creation of local livelihoods and employment opportunities in rural areas.

Stabilized Farmer Incomes => Diversified cropping patterns and improved practices to enhance farmer incomes.

Minimized Crop Losses => Strong post-harvest systems to minimize crop losses.

Accessible credit facilities to boost financial inclusion.

How will the government monitor and evaluate PMDDKY's progress?

Monthly Monitoring => Authorities will monitor the scheme monthly against 117 key performance indicators (KPIs).

Digital Dashboard/Portal => Track progress and rank districts based on their performance.

Field Visits & Review => Central Nodal Officers conduct regular field visits and reviews to ensure effective implementation.

FAQ

Q. What is the objective of the Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PMDDKY)?

PMDDKY aims to transform 100 low-performing agri-districts by enhancing productivity, diversification, and credit access through saturation-based convergence of schemes.

Q. What specific criteria will be used to identify the 100 target districts for the PMDDKY scheme?

Districts will be selected based on low productivity, low cropping intensity, and less credit disbursement, with a minimum of one district from each state/UT.

Q. Beyond crops, what other sectors will PMDDKY focus on for holistic rural transformation and self-reliance?

PMDDKY will also focus on fruits, fisheries, beekeeping, animal husbandry, and agroforestry, aiming for higher productivity, value addition, local livelihood creation, and achieving Atmanirbhar Bharat across the agriculture and allied sectors.

Must Read Articles:

New Agriculture related schemes

National Mission on Natural Farming

ASPIRATIONAL DISTRICT PROGRAMME

ASPIRATIONAL BLOCK PROGRAMME

Source: PIB

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q. "Regional development initiatives often face institutional bottlenecks and governance deficits." Discuss the importance of Good governance for successful regional development outcomes. 250 words