Why in the News?

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched two major agricultural initiatives, the PM Dhan Dhaanya Krishi Yojana and the Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses, worth Rs. 35,440 crore to boost productivity, cut imports, and make Indian agriculture globally competitive.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• About PMDDKY (Introduction, Key Features, Objectives, etc.)
• About Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses (Introduction, Key Features, Objectives, etc.)

Introduction

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 11, 2025, launched two landmark agricultural initiatives, the PM Dhan Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PMDDKY) and the Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses, with a total outlay of 35,440 crore.
• Announced during the birth anniversary of Jayaprakash Narayan, the schemes aim to transform India’s agricultural landscape by enhancing productivity, improving self-reliance in pulses, and increasing farmer incomes.

PM Dhan Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PMDDKY)

• Overview and Objective
  • The scheme carries an outlay of 24,000 crore and focuses on transforming 100 low-performing agricultural districts across India.
  • These districts have been identified based on three criteria:
    • Low productivity,
    • Moderate crop intensity, and
    • Below-average access to agricultural credit.
  • The scheme aims to bridge developmental gaps by integrating 36 schemes from 11 different departments, ensuring convergence in efforts and efficient resource utilisation.

• According to official details, the 100 districts are spread across multiple states: Uttar Pradesh (12 districts), Maharashtra (9), Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan (8 each), Bihar (7).
• The scheme will promote crop diversification, better irrigation, sustainable practices, and enhanced farmer access to institutional finance. It will be implemented from the Rabi season of 2025-26 and continue till 2030-31.

Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses

• Objective and Implementation
  • The Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses, with an outlay of 11,440 crore, seeks to reduce India’s dependence on pulse imports and make the country self-sufficient by 2030-31. The mission targets:

• Expanding the area under pulse cultivation to 310 lakh hectares,
• Increasing total production to 350 lakh tonnes, and
• Raising the average yield to 1,130 kg per hectare.

• The mission will emphasise the adoption of high-yielding seed varieties, research-led farming practices, and the expansion of irrigation facilities, aiming to empower farmers and stabilise domestic prices.
• Strategic Importance
  • India remains one of the largest consumers and importers of pulses
  • The mission will not only reduce import dependency but also improve farmer profitability by focusing on climate-resilient crops such as tur (pigeon pea), urad, and masoor (lentils).

Complementary Announcements

• Alongside these major schemes, PM Modi inaugurated:

• 1,054 completed projects worth Rs. 3,650 crore under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF),
• 17 animal husbandry projects worth Rs. 1,166 crore,
• 16 fisheries projects worth Rs. 693 crore under the PM Matsya Sampada Yojana, and
• 11 food processing projects worth Rs. 808 crore under the PM Kisan Sampada Yojana and the PLI Scheme for Food Processing Industries.

• These projects collectively aim to strengthen agricultural logistics, storage capacity, value addition, and rural infrastructure, thereby increasing income opportunities for farmers.

Government’s Broader Vision for the Agricultural Sector

• PM Modi’s speech highlighted the transformation in Indian agriculture since 2014, noting that reforms from “seed to market” have boosted production and improved farmers’ financial resilience.
• The Prime Minister further highlighted recent GST reductions on farm machinery and animal husbandry products, noting that such measures lower operational costs for farmers, for example, tractors have become cheaper by nearly Rs. 40,000 post-GST reforms.

Significance of the New Schemes

• Targeted Development: Focus on low-productivity districts to reduce regional imbalances.
• Import Reduction: The Pulses mission to curb imports and enhance self-reliance.
• Integrated Policy Approach: Convergence of 36 central schemes for better efficiency.
• Rural Employment Boost: Increased infrastructure and production capacity will create more jobs in the agri value chain.
• Global Market Linkages: Encouragement to farmers for export-oriented production.