On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled two significant agriculture schemes — the PM Dhan Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PMDDKY) and the Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses, which together have a financial allocation of Rs 35,440 crore. This announcement coincided with the birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Jayaprakash Narayan. Modi remarked that these initiatives would greatly benefit millions of Indian farmers, with the government set to invest over Rs 35,000 crore in these programs. Additionally, he launched 1,054 other projects valued at Rs 3,650 crore that were completed through the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF). The Prime Minister also inaugurated and laid the groundwork for various initiatives in animal husbandry, fisheries, and food processing.
The food processing projects are part of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana and the Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Food Processing Industry (PLISFPI), while the fisheries projects, amounting to Rs 693 crore, fall under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) and the Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund. The PMDDKY and the Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses were announced in the Union Budget for 2025-26 and have recently received Cabinet approval. Modeled after the Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP), the PMDDKY aims to develop 100 agricultural districts based on three criteria: low productivity, moderate crop intensity, and limited access to credit.
Although the PMDDKY does not have a distinct budget, its Rs 24,000 crore allocation will derive from the convergence of various schemes. The Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses seeks to extend the area of pulses to 310 lakh hectares, boost production to 350 lakh tonnes, and enhance yield to 1130 kg/ha by 2030-31. This initiative was also approved by the Union Cabinet on October 1 and is planned for implementation over six years, from 2025-26 to 2030-31, with a budget of Rs 11,440 crore. Modi emphasized that this mission is not only about increasing pulse production but also about empowering future generations.
He criticized past governments for their disregard for agriculture, stating that it is vital for agriculture to receive consistent government support as circumstances evolve. He pointed out that previous administrations neglected the agricultural sector. For India to experience rapid growth in the 21st century, he asserted that reforms in agriculture were necessary, which began in 2014. Modi contrasted the current government’s achievements with those of the Congress government from 2004 to 2014, noting that while the Congress administration provided a fertilizer subsidy of Rs 5 lakh crore in its decade of rule, the BJP-NDA government has offered over Rs 13 lakh crore in fertilizer subsidies in the past ten years.