Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday, 23 May 2026, announced that his government is channelling ₹118 crore under the Mahak Kranti Yojana to promote aromatic plant cultivation across the state, with the twin goals of raising farmer incomes and encouraging self-employment in rural areas.

Context

Posting in Hindi on X, CM Dhami said: 'हमारी सरकार किसानों की आय बढ़ाने और स्वरोजगार को प्रोत्साहित करने हेतु महक क्रांति योजना के अंतर्गत ₹118 करोड़ की सहायता से सुगंधित पौधों की खेती को बढ़ावा दे रही है' — translated: 'Our government is promoting the cultivation of aromatic plants with assistance of ₹118 crore under the Mahak Kranti Yojana to increase the income of farmers and encourage self-employment.' He added that the initiative is proving to be an important step towards fostering innovation in agriculture and strengthening the rural economy.

Uttarakhand is a Himalayan state with agro-climatic conditions well-suited to high-value aromatic and medicinal crops such as lavender, lemongrass, rosemary, and mint. Smallholder farmers in the state's hilly terrain have historically struggled with low returns from staple cereal cultivation, making crop diversification a recurring policy priority.

Policy Backdrop

The Mahak Kranti Yojana — loosely translated as the 'Fragrance Revolution Scheme' — is a state-level programme designed to shift farmers toward aromatic crops that command premium prices in essential-oil and herbal-product markets. Such schemes typically combine subsidies on planting material with marketing linkages, enabling farmers to move beyond subsistence agriculture.

The broader push aligns with a national policy direction dating to 2016, when the Government of India set a target of doubling farmers' incomes, prompting state governments to launch crop-diversification programmes. BJP-governed states have increasingly framed such efforts within the language of rural self-reliance and entrepreneurship, positioning aromatic farming as a vehicle for both income growth and import substitution in the essential-oils sector.

Across India, medicinal and aromatic crop promotion has gained traction as a strategy to raise returns per acre without requiring large landholdings — an important consideration in hill states where average farm sizes are small.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary beneficiaries of the ₹118 crore outlay are expected to be small and marginal farmers and rural entrepreneurs in Uttarakhand, particularly those in districts where arable flatland is scarce and alternative livelihoods are limited. Aromatic crop cultivation also opens pathways for value-added processing — distillation of essential oils, herbal extracts — creating downstream employment beyond the farm gate.

Rural women entrepreneurs and self-help groups have historically been significant participants in aromatic farming programmes in hill states, as the crop cycle and processing work are compatible with household-level enterprise. If marketing linkages are established effectively, the scheme could reduce distress migration from rural Uttarakhand — a persistent social challenge in the state.

What's Next

Attention will now turn to the district-wise disbursement of the ₹118 crore allocation and the pace of farmer enrolment during the 2026–27 agricultural season. The government's ability to connect aromatic crop producers with essential-oil buyers and export channels will be a key determinant of whether the scheme translates announcement into measurable income gains. If adoption figures prove strong, Mahak Kranti Yojana could become a replicable model for other hill states seeking to diversify away from low-margin cereal farming.