Rohtak, July 16 (IANS) As the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the ‘Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana’ for a period of six years starting 2025-26, farmers in Rohtak, Haryana, on Wednesday welcomed the decision with optimism, calling it a major boost for small and marginal farmers.

Speaking to IANS, local farmers expressed their appreciation for the scheme and the potential benefits it promises to bring.

“I want to thank Prime Minister Modi for this,” said one farmer.

“Common farmers are very happy. Earlier, the cost of producing paddy was very high. But with the new scheme and the increased Minimum Support Price (MSP), this will bring great relief to us. The government has taken a positive step for the farming community,” he added.

Another farmer echoed the sentiment, saying, “It will definitely benefit us. I’m grateful to the Prime Minister for thinking about the farmers. We’ve been struggling for years, and this scheme gives us hope.”

A third farmer emphasised the importance of implementation: “Now that the Cabinet has passed it, I just hope it reaches the ground level soon. It’s a very good move, but timely execution is key,” he said.

Meanwhile, the scheme draws inspiration from NITI Aayog’s Aspirational District Programme, a first-of-its-kind initiative focusing exclusively on agriculture and allied sectors.

It aims to enhance agricultural productivity, increase adoption of crop diversification and sustainable agricultural practices, augment post-harvest storage at the panchayat and block levels, improve irrigation facilities and facilitate availability of long-term and short-term credit, according to the official statement.

The scheme was announced as part of the Budget proposals for 2025-26 to develop 100 districts under ‘Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana’. The scheme will be implemented through the convergence of 36 existing schemes across 11 Departments, other State schemes and local partnerships with the private sector.

As many as 100 districts will be identified based on three key indicators of low productivity, low cropping intensity, and less credit disbursement. The number of districts in each state/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, according to an official statement.

Committees will be formed at the District, State and National level for effective planning, implementation and monitoring of the Scheme. A District Agriculture and Allied Activities Plan will be finalised 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.

The progress of the scheme in each Dhan-Dhaanya district will be monitored on 117 key Performance Indicators through a dashboard monthly.

–IANS

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