Cabinet Approves PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana for 100 Districts

The Government of India has approved a new central sector scheme, the “Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana,” to increase agricultural productivity in the country's selected 100 districts. 

The scheme, announced by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her 2025-26 budget speech, was approved by the Union Cabinet during a meeting held in New Delhi on 16 July 2025. 

Duration of the Scheme 

• The scheme is for five years, starting from 2025-26 to 2029-30.

Coverage of the Scheme

The scheme will cover 100 districts across the country, with at least one district from each state and Union Territory (UT) included.

Selection of districts;

The districts will be identified on three indicators;

• low productivity, 
• low cropping intensity (it refers to the number of times crops are planted in an agricultural season on the same land), and 
• less credit disbursement.

The government will also consider the share of Net Cropped Area and operational holdings while selecting the number of districts in each state/UT.

Aim of the Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana

The following are the aims of the scheme. 

• Enhance agricultural productivity,
• adopt crop diversification and sustainable agriculture practices,
• Increase and strengthen post-harvest storage at the panchayat and block level, 
• improve irrigation facilities, and 
• availability of long-term and short-term credit to farmers, to help around 1.7 crore farmers.

Nodal Ministry for Implementation of the Scheme 

• The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare is the nodal ministry responsible for implementing the Prime Minister's Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana.

Implementation and Features of Scheme 

The scheme has been modelled on the NITI Aayog’s Aspiration District Programme, with a focus on agriculture and allied sectors.

The scheme will be implemented with the participation of the government and the private sector. 

36 existing central government schemes of 11 Central government departments, State government schemes will be converged under the “Prime Minister Dhan Dhaanya Krishi Yojana” Implementation 

For proper implementation and monitoring of the scheme, Committees will be formed at the National, State and District levels.

District Dhan Dhaanya Samiti

• At the district level, it will prepare a District Agriculture and Allied Activities Plan. Progressive farmers will also be members of the district-level committee.

Monitoring of the Scheme 

• The progress of the scheme in each Dhan-Dhaanya district will be monitored by NITI Aayog through 117 key performance indicators using a monthly dashboard. 
• Central Nodal Officers will be appointed in each selected district to review the scheme's performance on a regular basis.