Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses – Overview

  • Launch: October 2025, announced in Union Budget 2025‑26.
  • Scheme type: Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) with outlay ₹11,440 crore.
  • Period: 2025‑26 to 2030‑31.

Key Facts & Targets

  • Focus crops: Tur (Arhar), Urad, Masoor.
  • Area expansion: Additional 35 lakh ha, total 310 lakh ha by 2030‑31.
  • Production target: 350 lakh tonnes of pulses by 2030‑31.
  • Import reduction: Aim to cut imports from 47.38 lakh tonnes (2023‑24) to near‑zero.
  • Seed‑to‑market: SATHI Portal for seed authentication & traceability.
  • Assured procurement: 100 % procurement of focus pulses via NAFED & NCCF under PM‑AASHA.
  • Value addition: Establish 1,000 pulse mills (incl. 55 in MP) with ₹25 lakh subsidy per unit.
  • Farmer support: Seed kits + ₹10,000 per ha assistance for model farming.

Background & Context

  • Pulses contribute 20‑25 % of total protein intake in Indian diets; per‑capita consumption ≈ 55 g/day, far below the recommended 85 g/day.
  • Domestic production rose 31 % (192.6 lakh t in 2013‑14 → 252.38 lakh t in 2024‑25) but still insufficient.
  • India is largest global producer & consumer (≈ 25 % of world production) yet pulse share in total food‑grain output fell from 16 % (1950) to ≈ 8 % (2022‑23).
  • Projected demand ≈ 39 million t by 2050, requiring 2.2 % annual growth.

Significance for India

  • Nutritional security – bridges protein‑energy malnutrition.
  • Foreign‑exchange savings – reduces import bill and shields farmers from global price volatility.
  • Soil health – pulses are nitrogen‑fixing, improve fertility, align with climate‑resilient agriculture.
  • Rural livelihoods – assured procurement and value‑addition create stable incomes.

Related Policy & Legal Framework

  • National Food Security Mission (NFSM) – Pulses.
  • Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PM‑AASHA) – price support & procurement.
  • National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) – climate‑smart practices.
  • Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) – funding for cluster‑based interventions.
  • Food Security Act, 2013 – mandates nutritional adequacy, indirectly supporting pulse promotion.

NITI Aayog Recommendations

  • One Block – One Seed Village: cluster seed hubs & Farmer‑Producer Organizations (FPOs).
  • Rice fallows: convert post‑rice fallow lands to pulses.
  • Integration in welfare schemes: PDS, Mid‑Day Meals.
  • Climate‑resilient varieties & data‑driven monitoring via SATHI.