Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, has directed officials to ensure the time-bound implementation of the ‘Self-Reliance in Pulses Mission’ and the ‘Pradhan Mantri Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana’.
In a high-level meeting with senior officials of the Ministry, Chouhan instructed that district-level clusters be created for the Self-Reliance in Pulses Mission, with active support from States. He also emphasised the need for effective grassroots execution of the Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana to ensure farmers directly benefit from these initiatives.
To accelerate implementation, Chouhan will soon convene a meeting with ministers from 11 Ministries and officials from NITI Aayog, covering the 36 sub-schemes integrated under the Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana. Separate meetings will also be organised with nodal officers from concerned States to monitor progress on the Pulses Mission.
Launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 11, the Pradhan Mantri Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana focuses on promoting agricultural development in 100 aspirational districts, with a six-year implementation period and an annual outlay of ₹24,000 crore.
The Self-Reliance in Pulses Mission, also approved for six years with a financial outlay of ₹11,440 crore, aims to expand pulses cultivation from 275 lakh hectares to 310 lakh hectares, increase production from 242 lakh tonnes to 350 lakh tonnes, and raise productivity to 1,130 kg per hectare by 2030–31. Besides boosting productivity, the mission is expected to generate substantial employment opportunities in the agriculture sector.