Centre Launches ‘100 Aspirational Agriculture Districts’ Under PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana

The Central government on October 3 announced the selection of 100 Aspirational Agriculture Districts under the Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PMDDKY). The initiative, modeled on the successful Aspirational Districts Programme, seeks to enhance agricultural growth and sustainability across 29 states and Union Territories.

Uttar Pradesh Leads with 12 Districts

Among the selected districts, Uttar Pradesh tops the list with 12 districts, followed by Maharashtra (9), Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan (8 each), and Bihar (7). Six states — Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and West Bengal — have four districts each, while Assam, Chhattisgarh, and Kerala have three each. The Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir, along with Jharkhand and Uttarakhand, has two districts each.

Monitoring and Implementation

The Centre has also appointed 100 Central Nodal Officers (CNOs) — primarily Joint Secretaries — to oversee and monitor the performance of the selected districts.

Selection Criteria and Objectives

According to the operational guidelines, the identification of aspirational agriculture districts was based on three key factors:

1. Low productivity,
2. Moderate crop intensity, and
3. Below-average access to credit.

The PMDDKY has five major objectives:

• Enhancing agricultural productivity,
• Promoting crop diversification and sustainable practices,
• Expanding post-harvest storage at the panchayat and block levels,
• Improving irrigation facilities, and
• Facilitating access to short-term and long-term agricultural credit.

Funding Through Convergence

The scheme does not have a separate budgetary allocation. Instead, it will be implemented through the convergence of existing government schemes, ensuring optimal use of resources to transform agricultural performance in identified districts.