Water-Smart Farming with Per Drop More Crop
The Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) scheme has brought more than 115 lakh hectares under micro-irrigation (drip and sprinkler systems) as of July 2026
PDMC is implemented by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare to promote water-use efficiency in farming
The scheme provides financial assistance to farmers for adopting drip and sprinkler irrigation systems in place of flood irrigation
The expansion is presented as part of a broader push toward water-smart, climate-resilient agriculture
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) and PDMC
PMKSY was launched in 2015-16 as an umbrella irrigation scheme to expand assured irrigation, improve on-farm water-use efficiency, and promote sustainable water conservation. PDMC was originally a component of PMKSY (2015-16 to 2021-22), focused specifically on micro-irrigation (drip/sprinkler). From 2022-23, PDMC has been implemented as a standalone Centrally Sponsored Scheme by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, separate from the PMKSY components now run by the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
Key Details
- PMKSY's other major components — Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) and Har Khet Ko Pani (HKKP) — are implemented by the Ministry of Jal Shakti
- HKKP has sub-components: Command Area Development & Water Management, Surface Minor Irrigation, Repair/Renovation/Restoration of Water Bodies, and Ground Water Development
- Watershed Development Component (WDC) of PMKSY is implemented by the Department of Land Resources, Ministry of Rural Development
- PMKSY (2021-22 to 2025-26) involves debt servicing to NABARD of about ₹20,434.56 crore, with an outlay of ₹35,180 crore as state share
The 115 lakh hectare milestone is specifically a PDMC (micro-irrigation) achievement, distinct from PMKSY's canal/watershed components — a distinction UPSC frequently tests by asking which body implements which PMKSY component.
Micro-Irrigation: Drip vs Sprinkler and Water-Use Efficiency
Micro-irrigation refers to localized water application methods — drip irrigation (water delivered directly to the root zone through emitters) and sprinkler irrigation (water sprayed over the field) — as opposed to conventional flood/furrow irrigation, which loses a large share of water to evaporation, runoff, and seepage.
Key Details
- Flood irrigation in India can lose 60-70% of applied water to evaporation, runoff, and seepage; canal systems separately lose up to 40% due to poor lining and maintenance
- Micro-irrigation typically improves water-use efficiency and reduces fertilizer/labour costs through fertigation (delivering nutrients along with irrigation water)
- Agriculture accounts for the dominant share of India's freshwater withdrawal, making on-farm efficiency central to water security
- Government policy has targeted roughly a 20% improvement in irrigation/groundwater-use efficiency
PDMC's mandate is precisely to convert flood-irrigated area to micro-irrigation, directly targeting the efficiency losses described above; the 115 lakh hectare figure measures cumulative area converted since the scheme's inception.
Micro Irrigation Fund (MIF) and Funding Architecture
To accelerate coverage beyond annual budgetary allocations, a dedicated Micro Irrigation Fund was created with NABARD to provide additional low-interest financing to states for expanding micro-irrigation, supplementing the PDMC subsidy-based model.
Key Details
- PDMC operates as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, meaning funding is shared between the Centre and states (unlike a Central Sector Scheme, which is 100% Centre-funded)
- Subsidy support under PDMC is provided to farmers (with higher support for small/marginal farmers) to offset the capital cost of drip/sprinkler equipment
- The scheme's funding pattern and central release of funds to states is a recurring PIB/budget data point tested in Prelims
The MIF mechanism, layered on top of PDMC's normal subsidy budget, is a key reason states have been able to scale micro-irrigation coverage toward the 115 lakh hectare mark.
- Cumulative area under micro-irrigation via PDMC: over 115 lakh hectares as of July 2026 [Unverified — most recent independently found PIB figure was ~110-111 lakh hectares; the 115 lakh figure follows the same upward trend and is plausible but not independently confirmed]
- PMKSY launched: 2015-16
- PDMC became a standalone scheme (outside PMKSY): from 2022-23
- Nodal department for PDMC: Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
- Flood irrigation water loss: 60-70% (evaporation, runoff, seepage)
- Canal system water loss: up to 40%
- Groundwater dependence in Indian irrigation: about 64% of irrigated area