The Pradhan Mantri Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana is an agricultural development scheme announced in the Budget 2025-26, and launched by the PM on 11th October 2025.
2. Scheme Overview & Timeline
| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Pradhan Mantri Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana |
| Announcement | Budget 2025-26 |
| Approval Status | Approved by Union Cabinet |
| Implementation Period | 2025-26 to 2030-31 (6 years) |
| Annual Budget | ₹24,000 crore per year |
| Total Outlay | ₹1,44,000 crore (₹1.44 lakh crore) |
3. Strategic Objectives
The scheme has been designed with five primary strategic objectives that address critical gaps in India's agricultural landscape:
- Boosting Agricultural Productivity: Target districts where agricultural output falls below the national average, implementing interventions to bring them up to par with better-performing regions.
- Promoting Crop Diversification: Encourage farmers to move away from monoculture and adopt diverse cropping patterns suited to local conditions, improving both sustainability and income stability.
- Reducing Post-Harvest Losses: Establish infrastructure including storage facilities at block and panchayat levels to minimize wastage between harvest and market.
- Enhancing Access to Resources: Improve farmers' access to credit, quality inputs, and modern farming techniques in traditionally underserved districts to uplift incomes.
- Focused District Development: Concentrate resources in districts with low cropping intensity and poor credit flow, ensuring maximum impact where gaps are most significant.
4. Target Coverage & Beneficiaries
District Selection Criteria
The 100 districts selected for the scheme meet specific criteria indicating agricultural underperformance:
Farmer Impact
Approximately 1.7 crore (17 million) farmers across these 100 districts will directly benefit from the scheme's interventions, representing a significant portion of India's smallholder farming community in underperforming regions.
5. Major Components & Focus Areas
🌾 Improved Farming Techniques
Introduction of better quality seeds, enhanced inputs, and climate-resilient agricultural practices adapted to local conditions.
🌱 Crop Diversification
Encouraging farmers to cultivate a wider variety of crops based on soil type, water availability, and market demand.
🏗️ Post-Harvest Infrastructure
Development of storage facilities, cold chains, and supply chain improvements to reduce wastage and improve market access.
💰 Credit & Financial Access
Enhancing institutional credit flow to underprivileged districts, making financing more accessible to smallholder farmers.
🔄 Scheme Convergence
Integration of existing agriculture-related schemes to eliminate duplication and improve overall efficiency of resource utilization.
6. Implementation Mechanism
Collaborative Approach
The scheme will be implemented through a partnership model involving both Central and State governments, ensuring local context is incorporated into execution strategies.
Administrative Structure
Data-Driven Selection
Districts are selected using objective metrics including productivity levels, credit flow patterns, and crop intensity measurements, ensuring a scientific approach to resource allocation.
7. Significance & Expected Impact
Regional Development
By focusing on underperforming districts, the scheme aims to reduce regional disparities in agricultural development, creating more balanced economic growth across India.
Farmer Income Enhancement
Through improved productivity, reduced losses, and better market access, the scheme is expected to significantly increase farmers' incomes in target districts.
Food Security
Enhanced agricultural output and reduced wastage contribute directly to India's food security objectives, ensuring stable supply chains.
Modernization of Agriculture
8. Challenges & Risk Factors
While the scheme has significant potential, several challenges need careful management:
🎯 Effective Targeting
Ensuring genuine beneficiaries receive support and preventing benefits from being captured by well-connected or wealthier farmers remains a critical challenge.
🔗 Coordination & Convergence
Integrating multiple existing schemes risks bureaucratic delays, overlapping responsibilities, and administrative confusion if not managed properly.
🏗️ Infrastructure Bottlenecks
Building storage facilities, cold chains, and other infrastructure in remote, poorly connected districts is expensive and logistically complex.
💳 Credit Access Barriers
Financial institutions may remain reluctant to extend credit in areas they perceive as high-risk, limiting the scheme's effectiveness despite policy intentions.
📊 Monitoring & Accountability
Measuring real impact requires robust data collection systems, transparent reporting mechanisms, and regular evaluation of key performance indicators.
👨🌾 Farmer Capacity Building
Training farmers in new techniques, post-harvest care, and modern inputs is essential. Without adequate capacity building, infrastructure and funds may not translate to improved outcomes.
9. Critical Analysis & Recommendations
Strengths
- Data-driven, objective district selection process
- Comprehensive approach addressing multiple pain points simultaneously
- Substantial financial commitment over extended period
- Learning from successful Aspirational Districts Programme
- Focus on infrastructure alongside financial support
Areas Requiring Attention
- Need for strong grievance redressal mechanisms
- Regular third-party evaluations to ensure accountability
- Emphasis on farmer education and awareness programs
- Technology integration for monitoring and service delivery
- Climate change adaptation must be central to implementation
10. Conclusion
The Pradhan Mantri Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana represents a significant policy intervention aimed at transforming India's underperforming agricultural districts. With a budget of ₹1.44 lakh crore over six years and a focus on 100 carefully selected districts, the scheme has the potential to uplift 1.7 crore farmers and reduce regional agricultural disparities.
The scheme's comprehensive approach—addressing productivity, infrastructure, credit access, and crop diversification simultaneously—positions it as more than just another subsidy program. Instead, it aims for systemic transformation of agricultural practices in target regions.
However, success will require overcoming significant implementation challenges including effective targeting, coordination between multiple agencies, infrastructure development in difficult terrain, and genuine farmer capacity building. Strong monitoring mechanisms and transparent accountability frameworks will be essential to ensure the scheme achieves its ambitious objectives.
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