RAS question
What is the total estimated budget of PMDDKY over its six-year duration?
Correct answer: (C) ₹1.44 lakh crore.
PMDDKY's total estimated budget over its six-year run is ₹1.44 lakh crore.
Explanation
PMDDKY, the Pradhan Mantri Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana, has an annual outlay of ₹24,000 crore and is to be implemented for six years, starting from FY 2025-26. Multiplying the annual outlay by the six-year duration gives ₹1,44,000 crore, which is ₹1.44 lakh crore. The PIB release also frames the scheme as an agriculture-focused programme for 100 aspirational districts, integrating 36 sub-schemes of 11 Ministries, but the budget question turns on the six-year outlay calculation. Therefore, among the options, ₹1.44 lakh crore is the only figure that matches the stated annual allocation and duration.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) ₹72,000 crore would cover only three years at the stated annual outlay of ₹24,000 crore, not the full six-year period.
- (B) ₹1 lakh crore is below the six-year total obtained from ₹24,000 crore per year for six years.
- (D) ₹2 lakh crore exceeds the six-year total implied by the stated annual outlay and duration.
Concept
This tests budgetary arithmetic within a Union government scheme, a recurring RAS Economy theme because candidates must link scheme duration, annual outlay and total allocation rather than memorise isolated figures.