On July 16, 2025, the union cabinet chaired by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi approved the following proposals:
i.Union Cabinet approved the Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PM-DDKY)
ii.CCEA approved the Investment Exemption for NLCIL to accelerate the growth of Renewable Energy (RE)
iii.CCEA approved enhanced delegation of power to NTPC Limited for investing in NTPC RE Limited and its other subsidiaries to set up RE capacity
iv.Union Cabinet Passes Resolution Hailing Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla.
Union Cabinet Approved Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana:
The Union Cabinet, chaired by PM Modi, has approved the Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PM-DDKY) to enhance agricultural productivity and promote the adoption of crop diversification and sustainable agriculture practices across India, as part of the Union Budget 2025-26 to develop 100 districts under PM-DDKY.
- The scheme, with an outlay of Rs.24,000 crores per year, will be implemented through the merged 36 existing schemes across 11 departments, for a period of six years, from 2025-26 to 2031-32.
i.The scheme aims to increase the post-harvest storage at the panchayat and block levels, enhance irrigation facilities and facilitate the availability of long-term and short-term credit.
ii.Under the scheme, based on three key indicators such as low productivity, low cropping density, and less credit disbursement, 100 districts are to be identified across India.
- The number of districts in each state/ Union Territory (UT) will be based on the share of Net Cropped Area and Operational Holdings. However, a minimum of 1 district will be selected from each state.
iii.As a part of the planning, implementation, and monitoring the scheme, committees will be formed at the District, State, and National level.
iv.A District Agriculture and Allied Activities Plan will be finalized by the District Dhan Dhaanya Samiti, which will also have progressive farmers as members.
- The district plans will be aligned to the national goals of crop diversification, conservation of water and soil health, self-sufficiency in agriculture and allied sectors as well as expansion of natural and organic farming.
v.The progress of the scheme in each Dhan-Dhaanya District will be monitored on 117 Key Performance Indicators (KPI) through a dashboard on a monthly basis.
- The appointed Central Nodal Officers will also review the scheme on a regular basis.
CCEA Approved the Investment Exemption for NLCIL to accelerate the growth of Renewable Energy:
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by PM Modi, has approved an exemption to Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) India Limited (NLCIL) from existing investment rules applicable to Navratna Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs).
- This exemption enables NLCIL to invest Rs.7,000 crores in its wholly owned subsidiary, NLC India Renewables Limited (NIRL), without requiring prior approval from the government under the existing delegation of powers.
i.NLCIL and NIRL are exempted from the 30% net-worth limit, imposed by the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE), Ministry of Finance (MoF) for investments of CPSE in subsidiaries and Joint Ventures (JVs), providing greater operational and financial flexibility.
ii.The exemptions aim to support the goal of NLCIL to develop 10.11 Gigawatt (GW) of RE capacity by 2030 and expand it to 32 GW by 2047.
iii.The approval aligns with India’s commitments made during Conference of Parties 26 (COP 26), held in Glasgow, United Kingdom (UK), to achieve 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030 and Net-Zero emissions by 2070.
CCEA Approved enhanced delegation of power to NTPC Limited:
The CCEA has approved the increase of investment limit for NTPC Limited (NTPC) (formerly known as National Thermal Power Corporation Limited), enabling it to invest up to Rs.20,000 crores in NTPC Green Energy Limited (NGEL), a wholly owned subsidiary of NTPC Limited, and subsequently into NTPC Renewable Energy Limited (NREL) and JVs or subsidiaries.
- The investment cap for NTPC Limited was increased from Rs.7,500 crores, facilitating accelerated development of RE projects across India.
Union Cabinet Adopted a Resolution Hailing Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla:
The union cabinet chaired by PM Modi adopted a resolution to congratulate Indian astronaut Shubanshu Shukla for the successful completion of Axiom-4 space mission, an 18-day mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
- Shubhanshu Shukla, a Group Captain in the Indian Air Force, was the pilot of the mission.
