Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) 2025

Policy Update
Vanshika Khanna

Background

With a vision of expanding irrigation coverage, as reflected in the motto ‘Har Khet ko pani,’ and improving water use efficiency, ‘More crop per drop,’ the Government of India launched the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) on July 1, 2015.

The scheme was implemented to expand the cultivated area with assured irrigation, reduce water wastage, and improve water use efficiency. Another important aspect of the policy is harnessing rainwater at the micro level through “Jal Sanchay” and “Jal Sinchan” with additional subsidies offered for Micro irrigation.

Key objectives:

The scheme focuses on achieving convergence of investments at the district level to create detailed water use plans.
The key goal is to enhance physical access to water on farms, ensuring that every field receives a reliable supply (“Har Khet Ko Pani”).
The scheme promotes the integrated development of water sources, distribution networks, and efficient on-farm use.
A key component is improving water use efficiency by adopting technologies like precision irrigation to achieve “More Crop Per Drop.”
The policy emphasises sustainable practices such as recharging aquifers and conserving water.
The scheme encourages extension activities to educate farmers and field workers on water harvesting and management.
The feasibility of using treated municipal wastewater for agriculture is also being explored within the scheme.

Functioning

The two major components of the scheme are the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) and Har Khet Ko Pani (HKKP), both of which are implemented by the Ministry of Jal Shakti. The latter is further divided into four sub-schemes, which include: Command Area Development & Water Management (CAD&WM), Surface Minor Irrigation (SMI), and Repair, Renovation, and Restoration (RRR) of Water Bodies.

PMKSY functions as a decentralised planning and execution structure at the state level, allowing states to develop a District Irrigation Plan (DIP) and a State Irrigation Plan (SIP). The DIP includes three significant components, including water sources, distribution network and water use application of the district, which are prepared at two levels – the block and the district.

At the National level, the programme is supervised and monitored by an Inter-Ministerial National Steering Committee (NSC) under the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister, with Union Ministers from concerned Ministries as members. At the state level, a sanction committee chaired by the Chief Secretary of the respective state is authorised to sanction projects, oversee their implementation, and monitor them.

Performance

From 2019-20 to 2021-22, Command Area Development & Water Management (CAD&WM) sub-component of PMKSY-AIBP created a total irrigation potential of 607.5 thousand hectares and covered a cultivable command area of 297.94 thousand hectares.
The program has funded 106 projects, with an additional 6 projects newly included since 2021-22. Of these, 50 projects have been completed.
Uttar Pradesh created the most irrigation potential in this period with
250.52 thousand hectares, followed by Maharashtra with 142.6 thousand hectares.
Under the Har Khet Ko Pani (HKKP) programme, Surface Minor Irrigation (SMI) created a total of 67.99 thousand hectares of irrigation potential.
Repair, Renovation and Restoration (RRR) of Water Bodies created 24.84 thousand hectares of irrigation potential.
The Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) component has covered an area of
7,003.65 thousand hectares under micro-irrigation as of 2022-23.
The Watershed Development Component (WDC) sub-scheme has brought an area of 356.26 thousand hectares under protective irrigation.

Impact

The Economic Survey 2024-25 reveals the impact generated by policies aimed at enhancing the irrigation system in India. The report highlights that the coverage of irrigated area has increased from 49.3 per cent to 55 per cent of the gross cropped area between FY2016 and FY2021, and irrigation intensity rose from 144.2 per cent to 154.5 per cent. The impact on states such as Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Telangana is highly positive; irrigation coverage of their gross cropped area is around 98 per cent, 94 per cent, 84 per cent, and 86 per cent, respectively.

Efforts are also underway to integrate technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), global positioning system (GPS) and geographic information system (GIS). In April 2025, the government launched the Modernisation of Command Area Development and Water Management sub-scheme under the PMKSY with an initial outlay of Rs 16 billion. The scheme focuses on modernising irrigation infrastructure and enhancing water delivery systems from existing canals and other sources directly to farm clusters.

Emerging Issues

The scheme, although effective in some states, shows regional disparity, especially in Jharkhand and Assam, with irrigation coverage below 20 per cent, highlighting the need to improve irrigation and water management practices in regions with lower irrigation levels. Another emerging issue is to tackle the risk of water scarcity. It is necessary to integrate Micro-irrigation more as the pace is still slow in comparison to the USA (68.6 per cent) and China (13.7 per cent). Bureaucratic challenges have also emerged as PMKSY is a multi-departmental effort, which has led to a lack of coordination between different ministries and discontinuiting schemes at times.

Way Forward

Agricultural schemes can never be successful if the policies are not aligned with the on-ground concerns of the farmers. Moving forward, this scheme can reap many more benefits if combined with technologies, but at the same time, it must ensure equal access for all. A crucial step towards sustainability is also necessary in the coming times. Environmental threats are at an all-time high, and India needs to align its irrigation strategies with a focus on ecological efficiency.

References

Ministry of Finance, Government of India. (n.d.). Economic Survey. Retrieved from https://www.indiabudget.gov.in/economicsurvey/doc/echapter.pdf

Ministry of Jal Shakti. (2025, July 24). PRADHAN MANTRI KRISHI SINCHAYEE YOJANA. Press Information Bureau. https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2147696

Ministry of Jal Shakti. (2022, August 4). PMKSY Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana. Press Information Bureau. https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1848470

Indian Infrastructure. (2025, May 7). Reaping returns: Key trends and initiatives shaping the irrigation sector. https://indianinfrastructure.com/2025/05/07/reaping-returns-key-trends-and-initiatives-shaping-the-irrigation-sector/

About the Author:

Vanshika Khanna is a Research Intern at IMPRI, having completed a Bachelor of Arts (Research) in International Relations from Shiv Nadar University, Delhi.

Acknowledgement: The author extends his sincere gratitude to the IMPRI team and Ms. Aasthaba Jadeja for her invaluable guidance throughout the process.

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