As the first half of the current financial year (April-September) draws to a close, at least six new agriculture schemes announced in the Union Budget 2025-26 — including the Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana, the Makhana Board in Bihar, and four dedicated programmes for pulses, vegetables and fruits, hybrid seeds, and cotton technology — are yet to hit the ground.
On July 16 this year, the Union Cabinet approved the Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana for six years, beginning with financial year 2025-26 to cover 100 low-performing agri-districts on the lines of the NITI Aayog’s Aspirational District Programme, aimed at benefiting 1.7 crore farmers directly. The scheme’s guidelines and list of the districts are yet to be released by the Agriculture Ministry until date.
It is learnt that the guidelines and the list of 100 districts, where the scheme will be implemented, are waiting for approval from Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
The Makhana Board, which was touted as a big announcement ahead of Bihar Assembly elections, due later this year, is yet to be launched.
It is learnt that the Makhana Board, with a budgetary allocation of `100 crore, has been approved by the Standing Finance Committee (SFC) of the Agriculture Ministry as it does not require the approval of the Union Cabinet. The ministry is yet to launch it on the ground with officials saying that it will be launched “soon”.
Of the four other schemes, the six-year “Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses”, with a special focus on Tur, Urad and Masoor, has been approved by the Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC), but yet to be cleared by the Union Cabinet. It can be launched on the ground only after it is approved by the Cabinet and guidelines are released.
While there is no clarity about when the Mission for Cotton Productivity will see light of the day, the “Comprehensive Programme for Vegetables & Fruits” is yet to get approval from the Expenditure Finance Committee and the Union Cabinet. It is learnt that the Agriculture Ministry had circulated a concept note for getting approval to the vegetables and fruits programmes but NITI Aayog and Department of Expenditure raised some queries about it, asking the ministry to rework the scheme.
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The National Mission on High Yielding Seeds is also yet to get the required approvals. It is learnt that the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE), which comes under the Ministry of Agriculture, had circulated a proposal for getting the Expenditure Finance Committee approval for the seed mission which is yet to come.
While no separate allocation has been made for the Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana, it envisages development of 100 agriculture districts through convergence of 36 schemes of 11 ministries with outlay of `24,000 crore for six years.
However, `1,000 crore has been allocated for Mission for Pulses, `500 crore for Mission for Vegetables and Fruits, and `100 crore support for Makhana Board, and `100 crore for National Mission on Hybrid Seeds, and `500 crore for Cotton Technology Mission.
Sources say that non-approval and launch of these schemes on time will make it difficult for the ministry to use the entire annual outlay during the current financial year. As per the General Financial Rules (GFRs), the ministries should avoid “rush of expenditure” towards the end of the financial year.
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As per the monthly spending data available on the portal of the Controller General of Accounts (CGA), the Agriculture Ministry spent 27 per cent (`36,955.75 crore) of its annual budgetary allocation of `1,37,756.55 crore till end of July during the current financial year (2025-26), which is at the last year’s level.
The Agriculture Ministry didn’t respond to an email from The Indian Express seeking comments.
