Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), 2015: Har Khet Ko Paani & Per Drop More Crop

Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), 2015: Har Khet Ko Paani & Per Drop More Crop

Policy Update
Om Vispute

Background

Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), a major central government project, was introduced on July 1, 2015, with the goal of encouraging water-efficient farming in India and guaranteeing irrigation for all cultivable plots. With the slogans “Har Ket Ko Paani” (water for every field) and “Per Drop More Crop,” the program offers a comprehensive framework for increasing irrigation coverage, cutting down on water waste, and boosting agricultural output using cutting-edge micro-irrigation technologies. In order to tackle irrigation issues in a coordinated way, the program unifies various ministries and organisations and combines previous plans into a single framework.

Functioning

Mechanism of Institutions

The three-tiered institutional structure of PMKSY is as follows: at the top, policy oversight is handled by the Prime Minister-chaired Inter-Ministerial National Steering Committee (NSC); implementation coordination is dealt with by the Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog’s National Executive Committee (NEC); and decentralised execution is made possible by State Level Sanctioning Committees (SLSCs), which are chaired by Chief Secretaries and allow for the implementation of State Irrigation Plans (SIP) and District Irrigation Plans (DIP).

Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) – fast‑tracking completion of medium/major national irrigation projects.

Har Khet Ko Paani (HKKP) – expanding minor irrigation, restoring traditional water bodies, and creating new water sources.

Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) – promoting micro‑irrigation systems such as drip, sprinkler, and rain‑guns, along with support infrastructure and agronomic extension.

Watershed Development (WD) – integrated soil and moisture conservation in rain‑fed areas, linking with MGNREGA for labour and resources

Operational Process States create SIPs and DIPs according to local water availability, cropping patterns, and irrigation gaps; SLSC-approved projects are geotagged and tracked with ICT tools; and, to guarantee timeliness and transparency, financial aid, particularly subsidies for precision irrigation, is transferred via DBT into bank accounts linked to Aadhaar.

Performance

The program was first introduced with an approved outlay of ₹50,000 crore over five years (2015–16 to 2019–20), and it has since been extended through 2026 with an expanded outlay of approximately ₹93,068 crore, including ₹37,454 crore in central assistance. It aims to benefit roughly 22 lakh farmers, with a particular push to SC/ST beneficiaries. State-wise Progress States such as Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana have shown strong uptake, especially in micro-irrigation installations. In Maharashtra, during 2019–20, more than 1.64 lakh farmers benefited under PMKSY, covering 1.23 lakh hectares via precise irrigation systems, with ₹402 cr in subsidy disbursement that year; previous years saw similar levels of investment and infrastructure deployment.

Impact

  • Productivity in Agriculture
    PMKSY’s focus on water-efficient technologies has resulted in significant gains in farm incomes, crop yields, and input efficiency (labour, fertiliser). In formerly rain-fed or drought-prone areas, increased assured irrigation encourages farmers to invest in inputs, increasing production.
  • Sustainability & Water Conservation
    Under “Per Drop More Crop,” micro-irrigation techniques are promoted, which drastically lower water consumption per unit of crop production. Initiatives for aquifer recharge and watershed development, meantime, stabilise groundwater levels and climatic resilience in areas that have degraded.
  • Being inclusive
    Increased subsidy rates, such as 45% for small and marginal farmers and 55% for others, together with attention to SC/ST communities, have made the system more inclusive and accessible.

Emerging Issues

  • Marginalisation of Watershed Components
    Critics point out that irrigation-directed structures have taken precedence over Integrated Watershed Management, an essential component of ecosystem conservation. In many jurisdictions, funding for watershed projects has decreased, and soil conservation initiatives are no longer given as much priority.
  • Differences Among States
    Micro-irrigation and infrastructural improvements are not as widely adopted in some states as they are in others, especially in the Northeast and rain-rich areas.
  • Gaps in Administration and Monitoring
    Despite the fact that geotagging and ICT are components of monitoring, there are still issues with implementation, such as project completion delays, a lack of coordination across ministries on the ground, and low beneficiary knowledge in distant locations.

Way Forward

  • Watershed Development Revived
    It is essential to reinstate the watershed component’s emphasis on soil and moisture conservation. Ensuring long-term ecological health requires the restoration of adequate funds and technical guidance for environmentally acceptable conservation buildings.
  • Boost Fair Coverage
    Outreach to lagging states and underserved areas must be targeted. Regional imbalances could be lessened by providing performance-linked incentives, capacity building, and local awareness campaigns to states that are trailing behind in the use of microirrigation.
  • Improve Monitoring and Assessment
    Sturdy, easy-to-use ICT platforms and independent assessments can be used to monitor progress and guarantee responsibility. Transparency would be further improved by routine audits of DIP/SIP implementation and farm-level grievance redressal procedures.
  • Encourage involvement from the private sector
    Encouraging private investment in precision irrigation systems through public-private partnerships, Micro Irrigation Fund (MIF) facilities, and subsidy co-finance can hasten adoption, particularly among forward-thinking farmers.
  • Emphasis on Climate-Resilient Agriculture
    By combining PMKSY interventions with agroforestry, crop alignment techniques, and climate-smartfarming practices, system resilience will be improved. Another possible area for growth is the promotion of treated wastewater reuse in peri-urban farms.

References

About the Contributor: Om Vispute is a Research intern at the Impact and Policy Research Institute ( IMPRI) and is in his final year of a Bachelor of Arts degree at Fergusson College in Pune.

Acknowledgement: The author sincerely thanks Ms. Aashtaba Jadeja and the IMPRI team for their valuable support.

Disclaimer: All views expressed in the article belong solely to the author and not necessarily to the organisation.

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