Pariksha SaathiPM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana at One Year: Gaya, Nagaur and Umaria Ranked Best Districts
The Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PMDDKY) finished its first year on 11 October 2026, and the Agriculture Ministry marked the milestone at a national event at NASC, Pusa, New Delhi, on 12 October. The scheme was announced in the Union Budget 2025-26 and launched on 11 October 2025 for 100 districts that lag on farm productivity, cropping intensity and access to farm credit. It works through convergence, pulling together 36 Central schemes run by 11 Ministries and Departments, along with relevant State schemes, behind district-specific action plans, and ranks districts every month on 121 indicators shown on a dashboard. Gaya (Bihar) came first in the overall ranking, followed by Nagaur (Rajasthan) and Umaria (Madhya Pradesh), and 18 more districts were honoured for good work on the scheme's six objectives. Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the first year had laid the foundations and the second must deliver visible, measurable results for farmers. He also asked States to take part in the Khet Bachao Abhiyan on balanced fertiliser use, planned from 22 October to 30 November 2026.
Drafted with AI assistance from the official PIB release linked above and checked against it by a second AI pass. Not line-edited by a human.
Learning context
PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana, announced in the Budget Speech of 1 February 2025 and approved by the Union Cabinet on 16 July 2025, is explicitly modelled on NITI Aayog’s Aspirational Districts Programme (launched January 2018 for 112 districts), but is the first such convergence scheme focused solely on agriculture. Rather than creating new funding, it works by converging 36 existing schemes across 11 central departments, with each district’s plan finalised by a District Dhan-Dhaanya Samiti headed by the Collector.
Reference: NITI Aayog’s official website — Aspirational Districts Programme
Check yourself: does PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana bring in new, separate funding on top of existing schemes?
No — it is implemented mainly through the convergence of 36 existing schemes across 11 departments, not fresh dedicated funding for each activity.
Revision task: note how Gaya, Nagaur and Umaria were ranked best districts in this release, and check which of the three selection indicators (productivity, cropping intensity, credit) the release credits them on.
Test yourself
Which district ranked first overall in the Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana's first-year district rankings?
Show the answer
Answer: Gaya (Bihar)
Gaya came first, followed by Nagaur and Umaria; the scheme, launched on 11 October 2025 for 100 districts lagging on farm productivity, cropping intensity and farm credit, converges 36 Central schemes and ranks districts every month on 121 indicators.
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