Per Drop More Crop:
The Government highlighted the progress of Per Drop More Crop (PDMC), a micro-irrigation scheme aimed at improving water use efficiency and agricultural productivity through efficient irrigation practices.
- As of July 2026, PDMC has brought over 115 lakh hectares under micro-irrigation coverage, with DBT-based financial assistance and digital implementation improving transparency, farmer access, and adoption of resource-efficient agriculture.
- The Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) scheme promotes efficient water use at the farm level through micro-irrigation systems such as drip irrigation and sprinkler irrigation.
- It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme aimed at improving water use efficiency and agricultural productivity by delivering water directly to crops with minimum losses.
- The initiative began in January 2006 as the Centrally Sponsored Scheme for Micro Irrigation.
- It was upgraded to the National Mission on Micro Irrigation (NMMI) in 2010–11.
- During FY 2014–15, it became part of the National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) under the On Farm Water Management (OFWM) component.
- From 2015–16 to 2021–22, it was implemented as Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY).
- Since 2022–23, PDMC has been implemented under the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (PM-RKVY).
- Financial Assistance for Micro-Irrigation: Under PDMC, farmers receive financial support for installing micro-irrigation systems up to 5 hectares per beneficiary.
- Small and marginal farmers receive 55% assistance, while other farmers receive 45% assistance. A total of ₹8,123.24 crore of central assistance has been released during the last three years.
- Agriculture consumes more than 80% of India’s available water resources, while only around 50% of the net sown area has irrigation facilities.
- PDMC addresses this challenge by promoting micro-irrigation, which improves water use efficiency, reduces water losses, and supports sustainable agricultural production.
