Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PMDKY)

Why in News?

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharman while presenting the Union Budget announced the launch of the Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PMDKY).

• Aim - To enhance irrigation and land fertility by providing quality seeds and fertilizers to farmers in infertile, barren, and undeveloped agricultural land.
• Launched in – 2025.
• It will cover 100 districts based on 3 broad parameters- low productivity, moderate crop intensity, and below-average credit parameters.
• It draws inspiration from the Aspirational Districts Program.

The Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP), launched in 2018, aims to transform 112 under-developed districts across 28 states.

• Implemented by - Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, and the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying

Cropping intensity is a measure of how efficiently land is used, and it is defined as the percentage of the gross cropped area to the net area sown.

• Objectives
  • Enhancing agricultural productivity
  • Adopting crop diversification and sustainable agriculture practices
  • Augmenting post-harvest storage at the panchayat and block level
  • Improving irrigation facilities and
  • Facilitating availability of long-term and short-term credit.

At the all-India level, the cropping intensity was recorded at 155% in 2021-22, while the Cropping intensity was only 111% in 1950-51.

References

1. The Indian Express | Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana
2. Times of India | PM Dhan Dhanya Krishi Yojana