PMKSY (Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana) is the umbrella irrigation scheme of the Government of India launched in 2015–16, with the goal of "Har Khet Ko Pani" (water for every field) and "Per Drop More Crop" (more crop per drop). PDMC — Per Drop More Crop — is the on-farm micro-irrigation component of PMKSY, administered by the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (DA&FW). It funds drip and sprinkler irrigation systems, micro-sprinklers, mobile rain-guns, secondary storage and fertigation tanks at the farm level, with the aim of raising water-use efficiency on existing irrigated land.

What subsidy do I get for drip irrigation under PDMC?

Under DA&FW Operational Guidelines for PDMC, small and marginal farmers get 55% central + state assistance on the system cost, while other farmers get 45%. The central : state share is generally 60:40 for most states and 90:10 for North-Eastern and Himalayan states. Several state governments — historically Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka — top this up out of their own budget so that small and marginal farmers in those states can effectively receive 80–90% subsidy. Final percentage and per-hectare ceiling depend on the state's PDMC notification for the year.

Drip vs sprinkler — which suits my crop?

Drip irrigation suits widely-spaced row crops, vegetables and orchards (sugarcane, cotton, banana, mango, citrus, tomato, brinjal, capsicum, grapes) where water and nutrients can be delivered to each plant's root zone. Sprinklers suit close-spaced cereals, pulses and oilseeds (wheat, gram, mustard, groundnut, soybean) where the canopy needs uniform overhead wetting. Micro-sprinklers suit nurseries, dense orchards and vegetable beds that need a finer spray than a drip but lower throw than a regular sprinkler. The PDMC subsidy applies to all three system types subject to the state's per-hectare ceiling.

How much water does drip actually save?

Compared with traditional flood / surface irrigation, drip systems can save approximately 30–70% of water depending on the crop, soil type and the baseline irrigation practice, as documented by ICAR, NCPAH (National Committee on Plasticulture Applications in Horticulture) and the 2004 Task Force on Micro-Irrigation. Yields typically rise by 20–90% because of better water and nutrient delivery to the root zone, reduced evaporation and the option of fertigation. Sprinklers usually save in the 30–50% range over flood irrigation in cereal-pulse-oilseed systems.

Apply at the state Department of Horticulture or Department of Agriculture nodal office for PDMC in your district. The state publishes a list of empanelled micro-irrigation system suppliers; you choose a supplier, the system is designed and installed, the field is geo-tagged, and a state inspection is done before the subsidy is released as Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to your bank account. The scheme guidelines and state portal links are listed on pmksy.gov.in and on the DA&FW site agriwelfare.gov.in.

What is the Micro-Irrigation Fund (MIF)?

The Micro-Irrigation Fund is a dedicated fund maintained at NABARD that lends to state governments at concessional rates to top up the central PDMC subsidy or to bring additional area under micro-irrigation. It was set up with an initial corpus of ₹5,000 crore, expanded to ₹5,000 crore additional in 2021 (so a cumulative ₹10,000 crore), and has been used by states like Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Haryana to push the effective subsidy higher for small and marginal farmers and to extend coverage in water-stressed districts.

How long does a drip system last and what maintenance does it need?

A well-installed drip system, with the right filtration for the source water (sand filter for canal or pond water, screen or disc filter for borewell water), typically lasts 7–10 years. Regular maintenance includes flushing of mainlines and laterals at the start and end of each season, periodic acid (HCl) and chlorine treatment to clear emitter clogging from carbonates and biofilm, and replacement of laterals and emitters as they age. Soil EC and pH from the Soil Health Card should be checked before and during fertigation to avoid salt build-up and clogging.

Per Drop More Crop (PMKSY-PDMC) Guide — Drip & Sprinkler Subsidy, Water Savings, How to Apply

Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) is the umbrella irrigation programme of the Government of India, launched in 2015–16 with the twin objectives of Har Khet Ko Pani (water for every field) and Per Drop More Crop (more crop per drop of water). Within PMKSY, the Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) component funds on-farm micro-irrigation — drip, sprinkler, micro-sprinkler and ancillary systems — and is the central scheme through which most Indian farmers access drip and sprinkler subsidies. This guide explains what PDMC covers, the subsidy structure, when to use drip vs sprinkler, the water and yield impact, coverage to date, how to apply, and the common pitfalls to avoid. For the broader basket of farmer-welfare schemes that PDMC sits alongside, see our India government schemes for farmers reference.

Why micro-irrigation matters now

India is the largest groundwater user in the world. Reports from the NITI Aayog Composite Water Management Index and the Central Water Commission (CWC) flag that several agriculturally important blocks — particularly in Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu — are now in the over-exploited or critical groundwater category. At the same time, agriculture continues to use roughly 80–85% of India's usable freshwater, with the dominant practice being flood / surface irrigation that delivers only 30–40% field-level water-use efficiency. Micro-irrigation flips this: drip and sprinkler systems typically operate at 70–90% efficiency. The policy bet behind PDMC is that the cheapest new water in Indian agriculture is the water saved on the farms that already have water. In the seven most water-stressed states — Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh — PDMC is one of the main convergence partners for the Ministry of Jal Shakti's Atal Bhujal Yojana (ATAL JAL) community groundwater programme, which explicitly counts on-farm drip and sprinkler adoption as one of its five Disbursement-Linked Indicators.

The four components of PMKSY

PMKSY (Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana) consolidates earlier schemes into four implementation components, administered by different ministries:

Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP).Completion of major and medium irrigation projects; administered by the Department of Water Resources, RD & GR (Ministry of Jal Shakti).
Har Khet Ko Pani (HKKP). Minor irrigation, command-area development, surface-water tanks and ground-water development; also under the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
Per Drop More Crop (PDMC).On-farm drip, sprinkler and micro-sprinkler systems plus pump-and-conveyance interventions; administered by the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (DA&FW), Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare. This page covers PDMC.
Watershed Development. Soil and moisture conservation, ridge-to-valley treatment in rainfed areas; administered by the Department of Land Resources, Ministry of Rural Development.

What Per Drop More Crop covers

The PDMC component has two functional sub-heads, as per the DA&FW Operational Guidelines for PDMC:

Micro-irrigation (the main sub-head)

Drip irrigation systems — mainline, sub-main, lateral, drip emitters / online or inline drippers, filtration unit (sand, screen or disc), fertigation tank and venturi.
Sprinkler irrigation systems — quick-coupling pipe sprinkler sets, semi-permanent and permanent sprinkler systems, and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) lateral lines.
Micro-sprinklers for nurseries and densely planted orchards.
Mobile rain-guns for protective irrigation on field crops with limited water sources.

Other Interventions (pump and conveyance)

Secondary storage — small farm ponds, lined storage structures and community storage to buffer between source availability and irrigation demand.
Pump and conveyance — diesel / electric pumps, solar pumps in convergence with PM-KUSUM, and HDPE / PVC conveyance lines from source to the field where drip / sprinkler then takes over.
Fertigation tanks and tools — venturi assemblies, fertigation tanks and EC / pH meters that make fertigation manageable at the farm level.

The Other Interventions sub-head is capped at a smaller share of the state's PDMC outlay, with the bulk of funding directed at on-farm micro-irrigation coverage in hectares.

Subsidy structure

The headline pattern under DA&FW Operational Guidelines for PDMC is:

Small and marginal farmers (landholding up to 2 ha) — receive 55% of system cost as combined central + state assistance.
Other farmers — receive 45% of system cost as combined central + state assistance.

The central : state share within that combined assistance is 60:40 for most states, 90:10for the eight North-Eastern states and the three Himalayan states (Jammu & Kashmir (UT), Ladakh (UT), Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand), and 100% central for UTs without legislature, as per the PDMC guidelines.

The actual percentage a farmer sees on the ground often differs from the central headline because states top up the central + state assistance out of their own budget. Historically:

Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have run top-ups so that small and marginal farmers effectively receive 80–90% subsidy on drip / sprinkler systems for selected crops or districts.
Several states notify a per-hectare ceiling on the subsidisable system cost for each category (drip vs sprinkler) and each crop spacing, beyond which the farmer pays the balance.

The subsidy is released as Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT)after the system is installed, geo-tagged and verified by a designated state officer. Some states release the central + state share to the empanelled supplier on the farmer's behalf so the farmer pays only the residual share upfront.

References for the subsidy pattern: pmksy.gov.in, pmksy-mowr.gov.in and the DA&FW Operational Guidelines for PDMC.

Drip vs sprinkler vs micro-sprinkler — when to use what

PDMC subsidises all three system types; the right choice is driven by the crop, the row spacing and the source water:

Drip irrigation suits row crops, orchards and vegetables — sugarcane, cotton, banana, mango, citrus, grapes, pomegranate, tomato, brinjal, capsicum, chilli, papaya. Water and nutrients are delivered drop by drop to the root zone of each plant; field-level efficiency is the highest (around 90%). Drip needs filtration sized to the source water (sand filter for canal / pond water, screen or disc for borewell water).
Sprinkler irrigation suits close-spaced field crops where the canopy benefits from overhead wetting — wheat, barley, gram, mustard, groundnut, soybean, sunflower and most pulses. Sprinklers also work well on light, sandy soils where drip emitters can be over-spaced relative to root volume. Quick-coupling sprinkler sets are popular because they can be moved across the field as the season progresses.
Micro-sprinklers sit between drip and a regular sprinkler. They suit nurseries, densely planted orchards (e.g. high-density apple, guava and mango), polyhouse vegetables and some flower crops, where a fine, controlled spray over a small radius is preferred to drop-by-drop emission.
Mobile rain-guns are useful for protective irrigation on larger field-crop blocks where investing in fixed mainlines and laterals does not pencil out — for example, life-saving irrigation to wheat or gram during a dry spell.

Water-use and yield impact

The case for PDMC rests on three measurable gains documented by ICAR, the National Committee on Plasticulture Applications in Horticulture (NCPAH) and the 2004 Task Force on Micro-Irrigation:

Water savings of approximately 30–70% over flood / surface irrigation, depending on the crop, soil and baseline practice. Sugarcane, banana, cotton and grapes typically show savings at the higher end.
Yield gains of 20–90% over flood-irrigated control, driven by more uniform water delivery, reduced surface evaporation, the option of fertigation and the avoidance of waterlogging stress.
Fertiliser-use efficiency gains of 25–35% when fertigation is used through the drip — because nutrients are delivered with water, in multiple small doses, directly to the root zone.

NITI Aayog and CWC modelling work suggests that bringing existing irrigated area under micro-irrigation could free up significant freshwater volumes for either domestic / industrial use or for irrigation of currently rainfed land — which is why PDMC sits at the centre of the demand-side response to India's declining groundwater.

Coverage so far

As per DA&FW PDMC dashboards and PIB releases, micro-irrigation has been brought under approximately 78 lakh hectares (~7.8 million ha) since PDMC's launch in 2015–16 up to recent fiscal years (figures evolve; refer to the latest DA&FW PDMC dashboard for current numbers). The largest coverage states are:

Rajasthan
Maharashtra
Andhra Pradesh
Karnataka
Gujarat
Madhya Pradesh
Tamil Nadu
Telangana

These eight states together account for the bulk of cumulative PDMC coverage, driven by a combination of water stress, established drip-supplier networks and state-level top-ups on the central subsidy.

How to apply for PDMC subsidy

Identify the nodal department. In most states the nodal department for PDMC is the Department of Horticulture; in some states the Department of Agriculture handles it for field crops. The state PMKSY / PDMC portal lists the nodal office, district officers and the empanelled micro-irrigation system suppliers.
Choose an empanelled supplier. The state publishes a list of empanelled MI-system manufacturers and their authorised dealers — only systems supplied and installed by these are eligible for the PDMC subsidy. Confirm the per-hectare quotation, system design (drip vs sprinkler, emitter spacing, filtration), and the share you will pay upfront.
Submit application with documents.Land record (pahani / 7-12 / patta as per state), Aadhaar, bank account details, farmer category certificate (small / marginal where applicable), Soil Health Card (recommended), source-water details (borewell / canal / pond) and the supplier's quotation. Many states accept applications online through their PDMC portal.
Geo-tagging and inspection. Once installed, the system is geo-tagged and the field is inspected by the state officer to confirm compliance with the design, area and category claimed.
DBT release of subsidy.The central + state share is released as Direct Benefit Transfer to the farmer's bank account, or directly to the supplier on the farmer's behalf, depending on the state's settlement model.

The Micro-Irrigation Fund (MIF) at NABARD

Recognising that the central PDMC subsidy alone often did not bridge the upfront-cost gap for small and marginal farmers, the Government of India set up the Micro-Irrigation Fund (MIF) at NABARD with an initial corpus of ₹5,000 crore, expanded by an additional ₹5,000 crore in 2021(cumulative ₹10,000 crore). The MIF lends to state governments at concessional rates (1.5–2% below NABARD's benchmark) that they use to:

Top up the central PDMC subsidy so small and marginal farmers effectively receive 80–90% subsidy in their state.
Take micro-irrigation to additional area beyond the year's central PDMC allocation, often in water-stressed districts identified by the state.
Run innovative cluster-based or community-based micro-irrigation projects (e.g. Andhra Pradesh's community drip projects in tribal districts).

States that have actively drawn on the MIF include Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Haryana and Punjab.

Common mistakes and what to check before installing

A drip or sprinkler system is only as good as the design and the source water. The most common avoidable mistakes:

Skipping the soil test. Get a recent Soil Health Card and check EC, pH and texture before designing the system. High EC water through a drip will accelerate salt accumulation in the root zone; extreme pH will affect emitter compatibility and the choice of fertigation chemicals.
Wrong filtration for the source water. Borewell water with sand or fine grit needs a hydrocyclone plus screen / disc filter; canal or pond water needs a sand (media) filter. Skipping or under-sizing filtration is the single largest cause of clogged drippers.
Wrong emitter spacing for the soil. Sandy soils need closer emitter spacing (30–40 cm) for the wetted bulb to merge; clay soils tolerate wider spacing (50–60 cm). Default supplier designs may not match local soil.
No flushing schedule. Mainlines and laterals should be flushed at the start and end of each season; emitters should be acid (HCl) and chlorine treated periodically to clear carbonate and biofilm clogging.
Fertigation incompatibility. Calcium-rich water (hard water) plus phosphate fertilisers in the tank will precipitate calcium phosphate and clog emitters within weeks. Use compatible fertilisers (urea, MAP, KNO₃, MgSO₄) and clean the tank between batches.
Lateral material below grade. Use the polyethylene (PE) lateral grade specified by the state empanelment — under-grade laterals fail within 2–3 seasons under UV exposure.

Limitations and criticisms

Independent assessments by NITI Aayog and the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) have flagged several persistent issues with PDMC implementation:

Under-utilisation of installed systems. CAG and state-audit reports note that in some states the proportion of installed drip / sprinkler systems actively in use a few years after installation is lower than the on-paper coverage — typically because of ownership disputes, source-water failure, or maintenance gaps.
Upfront-cost gap for small and marginal farmers. Even with 55% central + state assistance, the residual 45% can be ₹40,000–₹70,000 per hectare depending on the system, which is a real barrier for small farmers. The NABARD MIF and state top-ups are designed to address this, but coverage varies by state.
Uneven extension and maintenance support. Many farmers do not receive adequate post-installation training on flushing, fertigation and emitter maintenance, leading to early system failure.
Concentration of coverage. The eight largest states account for the bulk of PDMC coverage; states with weaker supplier networks or lower state top-ups continue to lag despite central allocations.

Related guides on this site

PDMC works best when planned alongside the rest of the on-farm package. Use your Soil Health Card to check EC, pH and texture before designing the drip system — it directly affects emitter spacing, filtration choice and fertigation compatibility. Pair installation timing with our India crop calendar so the system is commissioned ahead of the critical irrigation stages of the planned crop. If you also want to displace diesel or grid power on the pump itself, see our PM-KUSUM solar pump and feeder solarisation guide — Component B and C of PM-KUSUM are designed to plug straight into a PDMC drip / sprinkler layout. Where the source of water for the drip system is a rejuvenated village tank rather than a private borewell, see our Mission Amrit Sarovar guide — MAS rejuvenates 75 water bodies per district on Gram Panchayat land, and PDMC is the natural on-farm efficiency layer on top of the water it delivers. For credit support against the residual share, the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) and allied-investment loans listed on our government schemesreference can finance the farmer's 45% / 20% share. After harvest, the price-discovery side of the equation is covered by our e-NAM mandi guide, and our knowledge base has crop-specific package of practices to align fertigation and crop management with the new system.

References

PMKSY portal (pmksy.gov.in) — umbrella portal for Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana.
PMKSY (Ministry of Jal Shakti) — AIBP, HKKP and Watershed Development components.
Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (agriwelfare.gov.in) — DA&FW Operational Guidelines for PDMC and state allocations.
NABARD (nabard.org) — Micro-Irrigation Fund (MIF) operational guidelines and state-wise sanctions.
National Committee on Plasticulture Applications in Horticulture (NCPAH) — water-saving and yield-impact studies for drip and sprinkler systems.
Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) — research on micro-irrigation, fertigation and crop response.
NITI Aayog (niti.gov.in) — Composite Water Management Index and PDMC implementation reviews.
Comptroller and Auditor General (cag.gov.in) — performance audits of PMKSY components.
Central Water Commission (cwc.gov.in) — sectoral water-use and irrigation efficiency data.
Press Information Bureau (PIB) — official press releases on PDMC milestones, MIF expansion and PMKSY allocations.

Frequently asked questions

What is PMKSY-PDMC?: PMKSY (Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana) is the umbrella irrigation scheme of the Government of India launched in 2015–16, with the goal of "Har Khet Ko Pani" (water for every field) and "Per Drop More Crop" (more crop per drop). PDMC — Per Drop More Crop — is the on-farm micro-irrigation component of PMKSY, administered by the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (DA&FW). It funds drip and sprinkler irrigation systems, micro-sprinklers, mobile rain-guns, secondary storage and fertigation tanks at the farm level, with the aim of raising water-use efficiency on existing irrigated land.
What subsidy do I get for drip irrigation under PDMC?: Under DA&FW Operational Guidelines for PDMC, small and marginal farmers get 55% central + state assistance on the system cost, while other farmers get 45%. The central : state share is generally 60:40 for most states and 90:10 for North-Eastern and Himalayan states. Several state governments — historically Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka — top this up out of their own budget so that small and marginal farmers in those states can effectively receive 80–90% subsidy. Final percentage and per-hectare ceiling depend on the state's PDMC notification for the year.
Drip vs sprinkler — which suits my crop?: Drip irrigation suits widely-spaced row crops, vegetables and orchards (sugarcane, cotton, banana, mango, citrus, tomato, brinjal, capsicum, grapes) where water and nutrients can be delivered to each plant's root zone. Sprinklers suit close-spaced cereals, pulses and oilseeds (wheat, gram, mustard, groundnut, soybean) where the canopy needs uniform overhead wetting. Micro-sprinklers suit nurseries, dense orchards and vegetable beds that need a finer spray than a drip but lower throw than a regular sprinkler. The PDMC subsidy applies to all three system types subject to the state's per-hectare ceiling.
How much water does drip actually save?: Compared with traditional flood / surface irrigation, drip systems can save approximately 30–70% of water depending on the crop, soil type and the baseline irrigation practice, as documented by ICAR, NCPAH (National Committee on Plasticulture Applications in Horticulture) and the 2004 Task Force on Micro-Irrigation. Yields typically rise by 20–90% because of better water and nutrient delivery to the root zone, reduced evaporation and the option of fertigation. Sprinklers usually save in the 30–50% range over flood irrigation in cereal-pulse-oilseed systems.
Where do I apply?: Apply at the state Department of Horticulture or Department of Agriculture nodal office for PDMC in your district. The state publishes a list of empanelled micro-irrigation system suppliers; you choose a supplier, the system is designed and installed, the field is geo-tagged, and a state inspection is done before the subsidy is released as Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to your bank account. The scheme guidelines and state portal links are listed on pmksy.gov.in and on the DA&FW site agriwelfare.gov.in.
What is the Micro-Irrigation Fund (MIF)?: The Micro-Irrigation Fund is a dedicated fund maintained at NABARD that lends to state governments at concessional rates to top up the central PDMC subsidy or to bring additional area under micro-irrigation. It was set up with an initial corpus of ₹5,000 crore, expanded to ₹5,000 crore additional in 2021 (so a cumulative ₹10,000 crore), and has been used by states like Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Haryana to push the effective subsidy higher for small and marginal farmers and to extend coverage in water-stressed districts.
How long does a drip system last and what maintenance does it need?: A well-installed drip system, with the right filtration for the source water (sand filter for canal or pond water, screen or disc filter for borewell water), typically lasts 7–10 years. Regular maintenance includes flushing of mainlines and laterals at the start and end of each season, periodic acid (HCl) and chlorine treatment to clear emitter clogging from carbonates and biofilm, and replacement of laterals and emitters as they age. Soil EC and pH from the Soil Health Card should be checked before and during fertigation to avoid salt build-up and clogging.

Subsidy percentages, per-hectare ceilings, state top-ups and coverage figures evolve as PDMC operational guidelines and state notifications are revised; farmers should always confirm current rates and documentation with their state Department of Horticulture / Agriculture and the latest DA&FW PDMC dashboard before placing an order with an empanelled supplier.