Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) – irrigation-led transformation and water-efficient farming
PMKSY completed more than a decade as a central irrigation and water-use efficiency scheme, with official data highlighting expanded irrigation coverage, micro-irrigation adoption, and command-area modernization.
- The scheme is designed to expand assured irrigation, improve water-use efficiency, and support sustainable farming.
- AIBP is meant to complete ongoing major and medium irrigation projects, including national projects.
- PDMC promotes drip and sprinkler irrigation to improve field-level water-use efficiency.
- The Micro Irrigation Fund was established under the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development to promote micro-irrigation adoption.
What happened
The Government of India’s backgrounder on the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) presents the scheme as a major irrigation-led intervention in Indian agriculture. The official note says PMKSY has completed more than 10 years, has supported irrigation expansion and water conservation, and is being continued with a fresh budget allocation in Union Budget 2026–27.
PMKSY is important for UPSC because it connects agriculture, water security, climate resilience, and sustainable livelihoods. It also offers testable scheme architecture, financial support patterns, and implementation issues in irrigation and micro-irrigation.
UPSC can frame PMKSY as a scheme on irrigation infrastructure, micro-irrigation, watershed management, and water conservation. The exam can test its components, funding pattern, linkage with climate-resilient agriculture, and the policy trade-off between expanding assured irrigation and improving water-use efficiency.
Related dispatches
