Hindi English Translation || Editorial || ​All in one: On the Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana scheme

​All in one: On the Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana scheme

Agriculture needs more public spending (सार्वजनिक व्यय, सरकारी खर्च), not just one umbrella scheme

The Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PMDDKY) (प्रधानमंत्री धन-धान्य कृषि योजना), a scheme approved by the Union Cabinet, is to be implemented through the convergence of 36 existing schemes across 11 Departments. According to Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the scheme seeks (प्रयास करना, माँग करना, तलाश करना) to address (tackle, deal with, attend to, try to sort out) the “disparities (असमानता, विषमता) in productivity” between States, and even among districts within a State. The Centre’s pet schemes (पसंदीदा योजना) such as the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) (प्रधानमंत्री किसान सम्मान निधि) and the PM Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) (It is the Government of India’s flagship crop insurance scheme, launched in 2016 under the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare. Its core objective is to provide financial protection to farmers against crop loss or damage arising from unforeseen events such as natural disasters, pests, and diseases) as well as relevant State schemes, to be identified by the District Dhan Dhaanya Samitis (A proposed district-level coordination body to implement and monitor agricultural development schemes under PMDDKY), will be subsumed (include, incorporate, absorb, encompass) in the PMDDKY. Local partnerships with the private sector will also be promoted under the proposed scheme, which will begin in October during the rabi crop season. The scheme is to get an annual outlay (परिव्यय, खर्च) of ₹24,000 crore for six years. Modelled on NITI Aayog’s (नीति आयोग) Aspirational Districts Programme (आकांक्षी जिला कार्यक्रम), the Centre will identify 100 districts based on low productivity and cropping intensity and less credit disbursement ((of loan) paying out, giving, handing out, disbursal, outlay, expenditure, spending, distribution). The hope is that the scheme will result in higher productivity, value addition in agriculture and allied (संबद्ध, संबंधित) sectors, local livelihood (आजीविका) creation, leading to increased domestic production and self-reliance (आत्मनिर्भरता). This convergence (joining, merging, linking) of schemes must be viewed in the background of (it refers to the details behind something; out of sight; out of notice) decreasing public spending on agriculture. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture, in the latest report on Demands for Grants (Demand for Grants is the form in which estimates of expenditure from the Consolidated Fund, included in the annual financial statement and required to be voted upon in the Lok Sabha, are submitted in pursuance of Article 113 of the Constitution), had observed (notice, see, discern) a continuous (constant, continuing, persistent, consecutive) decline, from 3.53% in 2021-22 to 3.14% (2022-23), 2.57% (2023-24), 2.54% (2024-25) and 2.51% (2025-26), of the allocations for agriculture as a percentage of total Central Plan outlay.

This aggregation (grouping, accumulation, gathering, collection, clustering, combining) of all schemes under one umbrella suggests that the Government wants uniformity in running (manage, conduct, govern, oversee, regulate, coordinate) the welfare (social security, government/state benefit, public assistance), financial and technical schemes in the agriculture sector. It is keen (eager, desirous, very interested, wanting, willing) to add States’ measures (action, step, procedure, initiative, plan) too in the new scheme. It remains to be seen how effective such uniformity will be on the ground (in the place where real, practical work is happening; in actual conditions rather than in theories; in a place where real, practical work is done) as further decrease in public investment in agriculture could be disastrous. Private-public partnerships should be for the larger good of self-reliance, particularly in the production of foodgrains, edible oil (cooking oil; fat of plant, animal or microbial origin, which is liquid at room temperature and is suitable for food use) and pulses (edible seeds (chickpeas, lentils, beans). (dals)). The progress of area coverage under kharif crops, released last week, points to a decrease in the sowing (बुवाई, बीज बोना) of oil seeds and popular pulses. Though it promotes national uniformity, it is welcome that the new scheme will function based on ‘District Plans’ that will be aligned (give support to) to the national goals of crop (a plant that is grown in large quantities) diversification (the process of diversifying/varying something. It is a risk control technique that that mitigates risk by allocating resources across different areas/categories), conservation (preservation, protection, careful management (of the natural resources)) of water and soil health, self-sufficiency in agriculture and allied sectors. For the PMDDKY, the Centre will monitor 117 key indicators (measure, gauge, barometer, index, mark, sign, signal) of progress on a monthly basis. But to make it more participatory (involving by participation), States, local self governments, primary agriculture cooperative societies, agriculture universities and organisations of farmers and traders must be involved in this process.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.public spending (noun)

Hindi Meaning - सार्वजनिक व्यय, सरकारी खर्च
English Meaning - government spending.

2.Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PMDDKY) (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रधानमंत्री धन-धान्य कृषि योजना
English Meaning - The Union Cabinet (on July 16, 2025) approved the Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PMDDKY), a scheme to develop 100 agricultural districts through the convergence of 36 schemes of 11 ministries. The scheme has an outlay of Rs 24,000 crore per year, and will be implemented for six years beginning with the current financial year, 2025-26. It aims at increasing agricultural productivity and sustainable practices.

3.seek (verb)

Hindi Meaning - प्रयास करना, माँग करना, तलाश करना
English Meaning - try, aim, attempt.

4.disparity (noun)

Hindi Meaning - असमानता, विषमता
English Meaning - imbalance, variation, inequality, difference, disproportion, unevenness, lopsidedness.

5.pet scheme (noun)

Hindi Meaning - पसंदीदा योजना
English Meaning - favourite scheme.

6.Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रधानमंत्री किसान सम्मान निधि
English Meaning - an initiative by the government of India in which all farmers will get up to ₹6,000 per year as minimum income support.

7.sowing (noun)

Hindi Meaning - बुवाई, बीज बोना
English Meaning - an act of seeding a plant or crop.

8.outlay (noun)

Hindi Meaning - परिव्यय, खर्च
English Meaning - expenditure, expenses, spending, outgoings, money spent.

9.NITI Aayog (noun)

Hindi Meaning - नीति आयोग
English Meaning - The National Institution for Transforming India, also called NITI Aayog, was formed via a resolution of the Union Cabinet on January 1, 2015. NITI Aayog is the premier policy ‘Think Tank’ of the Government of India, providing both directional and policy inputs. (Think tank is a panel of experts who provide advice and ideas on political, social or economic issues).

10.Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आकांक्षी जिला कार्यक्रम
English Meaning - it is a flagship initiative by the Government of India, launched in January 2018 by NITI Aayog. It aims to quickly and effectively transform 112 most under-developed districts across the country.

11.allied (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - संबद्ध, संबंधित
English Meaning - related, connected, associated, linked, corresponding.

12.livelihood (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आजीविका
English Meaning - means of making a living with the basic necessities (food, water, shelter and clothing); means of support, subsistence, source of income.

13.self-reliance (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आत्मनिर्भरता
English Meaning - self-sufficiency, self-support, self-sustenance.

14.House committees (noun)

Hindi Meaning - सदन समितियाँ
English Meaning - The parliamentary (standing & select) committees; They do close examination and investigation of government policies, actions and spending.

15.Parliamentary select committee (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संसदीय चयन समिति
English Meaning - ‘parliamentary select committee’ can be formed for a specific purpose, for instance, to deliberate on a particular bill. Once the Bill is disposed of, that select committee ceases to exist.

16.in the background of (phrase)

English Meaning - it refers to the details behind something; out of sight; out of notice.

17.lead to (verb)

English Meaning - result in, cause, bring on, bring about, give rise to.

18.Demands for Grants (noun)

English Meaning - Demand for Grants is the form in which estimates of expenditure from the Consolidated Fund, included in the annual financial statement and required to be voted upon in the Lok Sabha, are submitted in pursuance of Article 113 of the Constitution.

19.umbrella scheme (noun)

English Meaning - a comprehensive scheme which has includes multiple smaller schemes or components/parts/elements under it.

20.convergence (noun)

English Meaning - joining, merging, linking.

21.address (verb)

English Meaning - tackle, deal with, attend to, try to sort out.

22.PM Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) (noun)

English Meaning - It is the Government of India’s flagship crop insurance scheme, launched in 2016 under the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare. Its core objective is to provide financial protection to farmers against crop loss or damage arising from unforeseen events such as natural disasters, pests, and diseases

23.District Dhan Dhaanya Samiti (noun)

English Meaning - A proposed district-level coordination body to implement and monitor agricultural development schemes under PMDDKY.

24.subsume (verb)

English Meaning - include, incorporate, absorb, encompass.

25.kharif sowing/crops (noun)

English Meaning - monsoon crops; seeds sowing in the beginning (Jun) of the monsoon and harvesting at the end of the season (Oct) in the South Asia.

26.rabi sowing/crops (noun)

English Meaning - winter crops; seeds sowing in the beginning (Nov) of the winter and harvesting at the end of the season (Apr) in the South Asia.

27.(credit) disbursement (noun)

English Meaning - (of loan) paying out, giving, handing out, disbursal, outlay, expenditure, spending, distribution.

28.Parliamentary Standing Committee/Parliamentary panel (noun)

English Meaning - it is a committee (consisting of Members of Parliament) constituted usually on an annual basis to enable detailed consideration/discussion on all bills (all proposed laws).

29.observe (verb)

English Meaning - notice, see, discern.

30.continuous (adjective)

English Meaning - constant, continuing, persistent, consecutive.

31.aggregation (noun)

English Meaning - grouping, accumulation, gathering, collection, clustering, combining.

32.run (verb)

English Meaning - manage, conduct, govern, oversee, regulate, coordinate.

33.welfare (noun)

English Meaning - social security, government/state benefit, public assistance.

34.keen (adjective)

English Meaning - eager, desirous, very interested, wanting, willing.

35.measure (noun)

English Meaning - action, step, procedure, initiative, plan.

36.on the ground (phrase)

English Meaning - in the place where real, practical work is happening; in actual conditions rather than in theories; in a place where real, practical work is done.

37.public-private partnership (PPP) (noun)

English Meaning - partnership between an agency of the government and the private sector in the delivery of goods or services to the public.

38.larger/greater good (noun)

English Meaning - the benefit of the public, of more people than oneself.

39.food grain (noun)

English Meaning - a grain (rice, wheat, etc.) produced for human consumption.

40.edible oil (noun)

English Meaning - cooking oil; fat of plant, animal or microbial origin, which is liquid at room temperature and is suitable for food use.

41.pulses (noun)

English Meaning - edible seeds (chickpeas, lentils, beans). (dals).

42.point to (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - indicate, suggest, signal, signify, denote.

43.align (verb)

English Meaning - give support to

44.crop (noun)

English Meaning - a plant that is grown in large quantities.

45.diversification (noun)

English Meaning - the process of diversifying/varying something. It is a risk control technique that that mitigates risk by allocating resources across different areas/categories.

46.conservation (noun)

English Meaning - preservation, protection, careful management (of the natural resources).

47.indicator (noun)

English Meaning - measure, gauge, barometer, index, mark, sign, signal.

48.participatory (adjective)

English Meaning - involving by participation.