In October 2025, Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW) has announced the inclusion of four Tamil Nadu(TN) districts: Ramanathapuram, Sivaganga, Thoothukudi, and Virudhunagar, under the Pradhan Mantri Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PM-DDKY) to boost agricultural productivity and allied activities in these regions.
- He made this announcement during his visit to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Krishi Vigyan Kendra (ICAR-KVK) in Vellore, TN.
Exam Hints:
- What? Inclusion of 4 districts from TN in PMDKKY
- Announced by: Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, MoA&FW
- Where? ICAR-KVK in Vellore (TN)
- Name of Districts: Ramanathpuram, Sivaganga, Thoothukudi and Virudhunagar
- PMDKKY:
- Launched: On October 11, 2025
- Total Budget: Rs 24,000 crore
- Time Period: 6 Years (from FY26-FY31)
- Total Districts: 100
- Total Schemes Integrated: 36 across 11 Ministries
About Pradhan Mantri Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PM-DDKY) :
Background: Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Ministry of Finance(MoF) announced PMDDKY in the Union Budget for Financial Year 2025-26 (FY26).
- Later, in July 2025, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi approved the scheme with a total budget outlay of Rs 24,000 crore for a period of 6 years starting from FY26.
Launched by: The scheme was officially launched by PM Narendra Modi on October 11, 2025, during an event held at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) in New Delhi, Delhi.
Aim: PMDDKY is designed to accelerate the growth in 100 agri-districts through the integration of 36 existing agricultural schemes of central government across 11 ministries including Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana (PM-KISAN); Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) and Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY).
Inspiration: The scheme is modeled on the success National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog)’s Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) launched in 2018.
Targeted Districts: As per the scheme, the Government of India (GoI) will identify 100 districts based on low productivity, low cropping intensity and less credit disbursement.
Implementation: Each selected district under PMDDKY will set up a District Dhan Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (DDKY) Samiti, chaired by the District Collector (DC) or Gram Panchayat (GP).
- Each District DDKY Samiti will prepare plans that are required to be aligned to the national goals of crop diversification, conservation of water and soil health, self-sufficiency in agriculture and allied sectors.
- And, the progress will be monitored using 117 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) on the dashboard.
Financial Assistance: Under this scheme, the Government of India (GoI) will provide financial assistance in the form of subsidies (50-80% discounts on high yielding seeds, biofertilizers, and equipment).
- Short-term credit facility (from Rs 50, 000 to Rs 1 lakh at 4-7% interest rate); and
- Long-term credit facility (from Rs 1lakh to Rs 10 lakh for capital investments like tractors, harvesters).
Other Key Benefits: The scheme offers various benefits like: free/low-cost use of village and block-level warehouses and cold storage for grains, vegetables; subsidized drip and sprinkler systems;
- Providing free-access to digital platforms like: e-NAM or new PMDDKY applications (app) for direct sales to buyers, which increases the profits by 20-30% and enhances transparency by removing middle men.
- Under this scheme, 500 farmers will be sent to fully-funded international trips, to learn advanced techniques of farming in countries like: Israel (drip irrigation); Japan (precision farming) or the Netherlands (greenhouse technology).
About Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW):
Union Minister- Shivraj Singh Chouhan (Constituency- Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh, MP)
Minister of State (MoS) – Ram Nath Thakur (Rajya Sabha- Bihar); Bhagirath Choudhary (Constituency- Ajmer, Rajasthan)
