UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PMDDKY)

Q1. With reference to the convergence-based design of the Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PMDDKY), consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. In a selected district, the scheme's own outlay replaces the budgets of the converging Central schemes, which then stop operating separately there.
  2. Because delivery runs through existing schemes, the District Action Plan has to be reflected in the State-level annual action plans through which those schemes approve and release funds.
  3. The scheme aims to bring every eligible farmer in a selected district under the existing Central and State schemes, not to create a new beneficiary category.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 2 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q2. With reference to the Aspirational Districts model, on which the Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana is patterned, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Districts are ranked on their incremental progress over time, so a district starting from a very low base can still rank near the top.
  2. The model depends on collaboration among Central officers, State-level officers and District Collectors, with States as the main drivers.
  3. The competitive ranking is designed mainly to identify the States whose average district performance is the highest.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 only
  • D. 1 and 2 only

Q3. Consider the following statements regarding agricultural land-use indicators: Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. Cropping intensity of a district can exceed 100 only if some part of its net sown area is cropped more than once in the same agricultural year.
  2. A district with a large Net Cropped Area can still have a low cropping intensity.
  3. An operational holding is identified by ownership title, so land leased in and cultivated by a tenant is counted in the landowner's holding.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 3 only
  • D. 1 and 3 only

Q4. A lagging district grows only a rain-fed kharif crop on most of its net sown area. Which one of the following interventions would most directly raise the district's cropping intensity?

  • A. Extending assured irrigation so that a rabi crop can follow kharif on the same fields
  • B. Consolidating scattered parcels into compact operational holdings for each farmer
  • C. Bringing culturable wasteland under a single rain-fed kharif crop every year
  • D. Introducing high-yielding varieties to raise kharif output per hectare of land

Q5. A district agriculture programme tracks the following indicators: Which of the above would be classified as outcome indicators rather than output indicators?

  1. Number of Kisan Credit Cards issued to farmers during the year
  2. Change in average yield per hectare of the district's major crops
  3. Storage capacity newly constructed at panchayat and block level
  4. Fall in the share of produce sold by farmers immediately after harvest at distress prices
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 4 only
  • D. 2, 3 and 4 only

Q6. Under the Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana, districts are ranked every month on output indicators only, while outcome data are reported once a year. Between April and August 2026, the average district score rose from 18.85 to 46.89. Which of the following inferences can validly be drawn from the above?

  1. The rise in scores mainly reflects faster delivery of programme activities and does not, by itself, show higher farm yields or incomes.
  2. The rise in scores shows that agricultural productivity in the selected districts more than doubled in those months.
  3. A district could improve its monthly rank by speeding up countable activities even while their effects on farmers lag behind.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q7. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. The Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana came into operation through approval by the Union Cabinet, without an enabling Act of Parliament.
  2. Agriculture is a subject in the Union List, so under Article 73 the Union's executive power extends to it directly.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct