Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana Completes One Year
The Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PMDDKY) completed one year of implementation on October 11, 2026, marked by an event at the Bharat Ratna C. Subramaniam Auditorium, National Agricultural Science Complex, PUSA, New Delhi. The event was attended by Union Ministers, Secretaries of Central Ministries/Departments, Central Nodal Officers, senior government officers, and over 370 delegates from states including District Collectors, district-level functionaries, agricultural scientists, and progressive farmers from DDKY districts.
Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare and Rural Development, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, stated that the first year focused on establishing strong foundations, while the coming year must deliver visible and measurable outcomes on the ground. He emphasized that the ultimate measure of PMDDKY's success would be the meaningful difference it makes to farmers' lives and called for strengthened coordination and accelerated implementation to achieve measurable improvements in agricultural outcomes and sustainable farm incomes.
The scheme employs a district-centric approach where action plans are prepared according to local soil conditions, rainfall, cropping patterns, water availability, infrastructure, and farming community needs. PMDDKY monitors district performance against 121 indicators through a dedicated dashboard, with monthly rankings encouraging transparency and competition among districts.
District Recognition and Performance
Three districts were recognized as overall best performers: Gaya district (Bihar) secured first position, Nagaur district (Rajasthan) secured second position, and Umaria district (Madhya Pradesh) secured third position. Additionally, 18 districts were recognized for exemplary work across the six key objectives of the scheme: enhancing agricultural productivity (Chatrapati Sambhji Nagar, Maharashtra; Chitrakoot, UP; Geyzing, Sikkim); encouraging crop diversification and sustainable agricultural practices (Mahoba, UP; Dindori, MP; Chamoli, Uttarakhand); augmenting post-harvest storage capacity (Tiakamgarh, MP; Sidhi, MP; Dantwada, Chhattisgarh); improving irrigation infrastructure (Kishtwar, J&K; Dahod, Gujarat; Chhota Udaepur, Gujarat); enabling greater access to agricultural credit (Narayanpet, Telangana; Jalaun, UP; Sri Sathya Sai, AP); and better governance and service delivery (Nagar Kurnool, Telangana; Kachchh, Gujarat; Haveri, Karnataka).
Scheme Background and Implementation
PMDDKY was announced in the Union Budget 2025-26 and formally launched on October 11, 2025, covering 100 districts with low productivity, low cropping intensity, and less agricultural credit disbursement. The scheme brings together 36 Central schemes from 11 Ministries and Departments, along with relevant State Government schemes, under a convergent framework to address district-specific agricultural priorities. Key objectives include enhancing agricultural productivity, increasing adoption of crop diversification and sustainable practices, augmenting post-harvest storage at panchayat and block levels, improving irrigation facilities, and facilitating availability of both long-term and short-term credit.
Future Initiatives
Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced the Khet Bachao Abhiyan, scheduled across all States from October 22 to November 30, 2026, which aims to promote soil health through balanced and judicious use of fertilizers. The government reaffirmed its commitment to working with State Governments, district administrations, scientific institutions, and farmers to translate district action plans into tangible results, with the vision of making all 100 PMDDKY districts truly "Dhan-Dhaanya" — rich in grain and prosperity.