Agriculture Budget: Nirmala Sitharaman announces PM Dhan Dhanya Krishi Yojana for farmers in Budget 2025-OxBig News Network

A farmer harvesting a paddy field with mechanised harvester at Thiruvalarsolai in Tiruchi district. (Image used for representational purpose only.)
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the Pradhan Mantri Dhan Dhanya Krishi Yojana, or the developing agri-districts programme, in her record 8th Union Budget presentation on Saturday (February 1, 2025).

The programme is motivated by the Aspirational Districts Programme which was launched in 2018 to “to quickly and effectively transform 112 most under-developed districts across the country.”

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The Pradhan Mantri Dhan Dhanya Krishi Yojana will converge existing schemes and will be undertaken in partnership with States. It will cover 100 districts with low productivity, moderate crop intensity, and below-average parameters.

According to Ms. Sitharaman, the programme’s aims are to:

1. Enhance agricultural productivity
2. Adopt crop diversification and sustainable agricultural practices
3. Augment post-harvest storage at panchayat and block level
4. Improve irrigation facilities
5. Facilitate availability of long- and short-term credit

“The programme is likely to help 1.7 crore farmers,” the Finance Minister said.