SRINAGAR: The Directorate of Extension, SKUAST-Kashmir organised the live telecast of the launch of the Prime Minister Dhan Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PM-DDKY) on 11th October, 2025— a landmark initiative aimed at catalysing agricultural growth across 100 agri-districts in the country.
The event drew an enthusiastic gathering of around 240 participants, comprising progressive farmers from different districts of the Kashmir Valley, along with students, scientists, and extension officials of the University. Participants attentively listened to the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s address, which outlined the government’s vision for transforming Indian agriculture through convergence, innovation, and farmer empowerment.
The PM-DDKY, with an annual outlay of ₹24,000 crore for six years starting FY 2025–26, seeks to enhance productivity, promote crop diversification, improve irrigation and storage infrastructure, and ensure credit access for farmers. The scheme builds upon the success of the Aspirational District Programme and aims to directly benefit 1.7 crore farmers across India through saturation-based convergence of 36 Central schemes implemented by 11 Ministries.
As part of the broader agricultural transformation drive, the Prime Minister also launched, inaugurated, and dedicated several major projects and schemes worth over ₹42,000 crore in the agriculture and allied sectors. Among these, the Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses, with an outlay of ₹11,440 crore, seeks to achieve self-reliance in pulses by enhancing productivity, expanding cultivated areas, and strengthening the value chain. The Prime Minister also interacted with farmers engaged in pulse cultivation.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Amal Saxena, Associate Director Extension (Agriculture) SKUAST-Kashmir, highlighted the importance of the PM-DDKY in strengthening the rural economy and empowering farmers of Jammu and Kashmir through focused and integrated interventions across agriculture and allied sectors.
The programme concluded with an interactive session where farmers expressed optimism that the new initiatives would boost agricultural sustainability, improve farm incomes, and contribute significantly to the overall economic development of the region.