Gaya, Nagaur, Umaria top PM Dhan-Dhaanya farm scheme rankings in its first year
Representative image: Manu_H / Pixabay
On October 12, 2026, Shivraj Singh Chouhan named Gaya, Nagaur and Umaria the best districts in year one of the PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana.
What Happened
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan honoured the best-performing districts under the PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PMDDKY) at a national conference in New Delhi on Monday, October 12, 2026, as the farm scheme completed its first year. Gaya in Bihar was ranked first, Nagaur in Rajasthan second and Umaria in Madhya Pradesh third among the districts covered. The conference, held at the Bharat Ratna C. Subramaniam Auditorium on the Pusa campus, brought together district collectors, scientists and senior officials from more than 50 districts.
Key Facts
- The scheme was launched in October 2025 and covers 100 districts.
- It has an annual outlay of Rs 24,000 crore for six years and brings together 36 existing schemes from 11 ministries.
- Gaya (Bihar), Nagaur (Rajasthan) and Umaria (Madhya Pradesh) were named the top three districts overall in the first year.
- Eighteen more districts were recognised for good work on the scheme's six main objectives.
- Three Gujarat districts won national awards: Kutch for governance and service delivery, and the tribal-majority districts of Dahod and Chhota Udepur for improving irrigation.
- District performance is tracked on a dashboard against 121 indicators, with monthly rankings.
Why It Matters
The PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana is built on a simple idea: rather than create one more scheme, the government pulls 36 existing programmes from 11 ministries together in 100 selected districts. The districts are then ranked every month on 121 indicators, a public scoreboard meant to push local administrations to compete.
The first-year awards show which districts have made the most of that model. The Gujarat awards for Dahod and Chhota Udepur point to irrigation as one area where results can be seen quickly.
Chouhan set a harder test for the second year. He said the first year had been about laying strong foundations and that the coming year must deliver visible and measurable results on the ground, including higher incomes for farmers. That is an important shift. Rankings measure how well officials carry out the scheme, such as how many farmers get credit or how much land is irrigated. Farmers will judge it on yields, prices and income.
Reports of the average district score differ. One account says it rose from 22.54 in April 2026 to 46.89 in August 2026, while an earlier review gave 38.85 by July. Both suggest steady improvement from a low base, but the scheme's results on farm incomes have yet to be published.
| Rank | District | State |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gaya | Bihar |
| 2 | Nagaur | Rajasthan |
| 3 | Umaria | Madhya Pradesh |
Impact
Short-term: The awarded districts gain recognition and may serve as models for others, while lagging districts face pressure to improve their monthly rankings before the rabi season.
Long-term: If the second year produces measurable gains in yields and incomes, the model of combining existing schemes and ranking districts could be widened to more parts of rural India.
Who is affected: Farmers in the 100 covered districts, district administrations and agriculture officials, and rural businesses that depend on farm incomes.
Key Takeaway
In its first year the PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana ranked Gaya, Nagaur and Umaria as top districts, and the minister now wants measurable gains in farmers' incomes.
Questions and Answers
What is the PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana?
It is a central farm scheme launched in October 2025 that combines 36 programmes from 11 ministries in 100 districts, with an outlay of Rs 24,000 crore a year for six years.
Which districts performed best in the first year?
Gaya in Bihar ranked first, Nagaur in Rajasthan second and Umaria in Madhya Pradesh third. Eighteen other districts were also recognised.
How are districts measured under the scheme?
Each district's performance is tracked on a dashboard against 121 indicators, and districts are ranked every month.
What did the agriculture minister say about the next year?
Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the first year focused on foundations and the second must show visible, measurable results on the ground, including higher farm incomes.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
Sourced and fact-checked by the Peepals Global Editorial Team
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Reported, fact-checked and published by the Peepals Global Editorial Team.
