NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the launch of the Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana, a new agriculture-focused scheme targeting 100 low-performing districts over a period of six years starting from 2025–26.
The scheme, inspired by NITI Aayog’s Aspirational District Programme, marks the first major national initiative focused solely on agriculture and allied sectors.
Targeted Agriculture Push
The 100 districts will be chosen based on low productivity, low cropping intensity, and insufficient credit disbursal.
Every state and UT will have at least one district included, with the final list weighted by Net Cropped Area and operational landholdings.
Convergence Of 36 Schemes
The new scheme will integrate 36 existing central schemes from 11 departments, along with relevant state initiatives and private partnerships.
This convergence model aims to streamline resources towards:
Enhancing farm productivity
Promoting crop diversification and sustainable practices
Creating block and panchayat-level post-harvest storage infrastructure
Improving irrigation facilities
Ensuring credit availability for both short- and long-term needs
Multi-Tier Monitoring
Committees will be set up at district, state, and national levels to plan, implement and monitor the scheme.
Each district will have a District Dhan Dhaanya Samiti, which will finalise the District Agriculture and Allied Activities Plan.
The committee will also have progressive farmers as members.
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.
Performance will be tracked across 117 indicators using a digital dashboard on a monthly basis, with NITI Aayog guiding and reviewing district plans.
Besides Central Nodal Officers appointed for each district will also review the scheme on a regular basis.
National Impact Through Local Change
According to an official statement, improvements in the 100 identified districts will raise national averages across key agricultural performance indicators.
“The scheme will result in higher productivity, value addition in agriculture and allied sector, local livelihood creation and hence increase domestic production and achieving self-reliance (Atmanirbhar Bharat),” the statement added.
