The Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme launched on July 1, 2015, with the core vision of "Har Khet Ko Pani" (assured irrigation to every field) and "More Crop Per Drop" (improving water use efficiency). The scheme was created to solve the problem of a large portion of India's agricultural land being unirrigated, which made farmers dependent on sporadic rainfall. It was formed by amalgamating previous initiatives, including the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) and the Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP).
The scheme works as an umbrella program with a decentralized structure, requiring states to prepare a District Irrigation Plan (DIP). It is an inter-ministerial scheme implemented by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, and the Ministry of Rural Development.
PMKSY is structured around four main components:
- Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP): Focuses on the faster completion of ongoing Major and Medium Irrigation projects.
- Har Khet Ko Pani (HKKP): Aims to expand the cultivable area under assured irrigation, including sub-components like Command Area Development & Water Management (CAD&WM) and Repair, Renovation and Restoration (RRR) of Water Bodies.
- Watershed Development (WD): Implemented by the Department of Land Resources, it focuses on rainwater harvesting and soil and moisture conservation.
The scheme was initially approved for the period 2015-16 to 2019-20. It has been extended for the period 2021-22 to 2025-26 with an overall outlay of ₹93,068 crore. A key recent change is that the Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) component, which promotes precision irrigation, was part of PMKSY from 2015-22 but is now being implemented separately under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) Cafetaria Scheme. The other components (AIBP, HKKP, and WD) were approved for continuation. The scheme is also connected to the Long Term Irrigation Fund (LTIF) and Micro Irrigation Fund (MIF) with NABARD.