Three districts of Gujarat — Kutch, Dahod, and Chhota Udepur — have received national awards for outstanding performance under the Pradhan Mantri Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PMDKY), as the flagship farm development scheme marks its first anniversary on 12 October 2026. Kutch was recognised for governance and service delivery, while the two tribal-dominated districts were honoured for measurable improvements in irrigation infrastructure.

Award Ceremony and Recognition

The awards were presented by Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan at a ceremony organised by the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare in New Delhi on Monday, coinciding with the scheme's one-year review. At the national level, 18 districts across India were recognised for excellence spanning the six core objectives of the scheme.

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel congratulated the district administrations and Agriculture Department officials of all three districts on the recognition, calling it a reflection of ground-level effort.

What the Districts Were Recognised For

Kutch earned its award for stronger governance and streamlined service delivery to farmers. Dahod and Chhota Udepur, both hilly and predominantly tribal districts, were acknowledged for expanding irrigation capacity, strengthening water infrastructure, and ensuring improved water availability for agriculture — factors that have directly contributed to gains in farm productivity and output, according to the state government.

Notably, three of the four Gujarat districts covered under the scheme — Kutch, Dahod, Chhota Udepur, and Panchmahal — received national recognition within the first year of implementation, placing the state among the better-performing participating regions.

About the Pradhan Mantri Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana

The scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 12 October 2025 and covers 100 agricultural aspirational districts across the country — areas identified as having significant agricultural potential but lagging in productivity, cropping intensity, and access to credit. With a total outlay of ₹24,000 crore, the programme targets improvements across six key areas: raising agricultural productivity, promoting crop diversification and sustainable practices, enhancing post-harvest storage capacity, improving irrigation infrastructure, expanding agricultural credit access, and strengthening governance and service delivery.

The identified districts are characterised by relatively low agricultural productivity, moderate cropping intensity, and below-average agricultural credit parameters — gaps the scheme is designed to systematically address.

Why This Matters for Tribal and Aspirational Regions

The recognition of Dahod and Chhota Udepur is significant in a broader national context. Irrigation gaps in hilly and tribal belts have historically constrained farm incomes and deepened rural distress in these areas. Progress in water infrastructure at the district level, if sustained and independently verified, could serve as a replicable model for other aspirational districts in similar geographies. This comes amid growing scrutiny of whether centrally sponsored agricultural schemes translate into measurable farm-income gains on the ground.

What Comes Next

With the first-year review complete, the scheme's second phase will be closely watched for whether momentum in award-winning districts is maintained and whether lagging districts — including Gujarat's own Panchmahal, which did not receive a national award this cycle — can close the gap. The national-level outcome data and district-wise progress reports are expected to inform future resource allocation under the ₹24,000 crore framework.