The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the “Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana” for a period of six years, beginning with 2025-26 to cover 100 districts.

Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana draws inspiration from NITI Aayog’s Aspirational District Programme and first of its kind focusing exclusively on agriculture and allied sectors.

The Scheme aims to enhance agricultural productivity, increase adoption of crop diversification and sustainable agricultural practices, augment post-harvest storage at the panchayat and block levels, improve irrigation facilities and facilitate availability of long-term and short-term credit. It is in pursuance of Budget announcement for 2025-26 to develop 100 districts under “Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana”.

The Scheme will be implemented through convergence of 36 existing schemes across 11 Departments, other State schemes and local partnerships with the private sector.

Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, "Foodgrain production has increased by more than 40%, and the production of fruits, milk, and vegetables has also seen historic growth. However, significant disparities in productivity continue to remain between states, even between districts within the same state."

He said, "Districts with low agricultural productivity or limited utilization of Agri Credit Cards (ACC) by farmers will be identified. In these areas, the government will work to ensure the comprehensive implementation of schemes from 11 different departments through convergence. This will include not only central schemes but also those from state governments, along with contributions from any other willing partners. Approximately 100 such districts will be selected, with at least one district from every state. Preparatory work is already underway."

"A nodal officer will be appointed for each district, and both the districts and their nodal officers will be finalized by the end of July. Training sessions will commence in August, accompanied by efforts to raise public awareness," added Chouhan. 

100 districts will be identified based on three key indicators of low productivity, low cropping intensity, and less credit disbursement. The number of districts in each state/UT will be based on the share of Net Cropped Area and operational holdings. However, a minimum of 1 district will be selected from each state.

Committees will be formed at District, State and National level for effective planning, implementation and monitoring of the Scheme. A District Agriculture and Allied Activities Plan will be finalized by the District Dhan Dhaanya Samiti, which 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.

Progress of the Scheme in each Dhan-Dhaanya district will be monitored on 117 key Performance Indicators through a dashboard on monthly basis. NITI will also review and guide the district plans. Besides, Central Nodal Officers appointed for each district will also review the scheme on a regular basis.

As the targeted outcomes in these 100 districts will improve, the overall average against key performance indicators will rise for the country. 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). As the indicators of these 100 districts improve, the national indicators will automatically show an upward trajectory.