Him Unnati Yojana

What is Him Unnati Yojana?

Him Unnati Yojana is a cluster-based agriculture development scheme of the Department of Agriculture, Government of Himachal Pradesh, announced with an allocation of Rs 150 crore. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu launched the scheme, which is also written as HIM-UNNATI, in 2024 as the state's main vehicle for making farming economically viable and for scaling up natural farming.

Him Unnati Yojana starts from a diagnosis rather than from a subsidy. Himachal Pradesh's average holding is tiny and fragmented, so an individual farmer cannot produce a marketable surplus, cannot negotiate on price, and cannot justify the cost of fencing, machinery or a cold chain. The scheme's answer is to consolidate smallholding farmers into clusters so that bulk production becomes possible and there is a sufficient marketable surplus to sell.

According to the Department of Agriculture, a total of 2,600 clusters are to be identified across the state:

• 1,200 clusters implemented by the Agriculture Department
• 1,100 clusters under Natural Farming
• 300 clusters through the JICA project

Activities are implemented phase-wise on a cluster basis to ensure a sustainable increase in farmers' incomes. The clusters cover cereals, vegetables, fruits and cash crops rather than a single commodity.

The scale the scheme builds on is substantial. About 1.92 lakh farmers in Himachal Pradesh already practise chemical-free farming on more than 32,149 hectares, and Him Unnati Yojana is expected to generate self-employment for around 50,000 farmers through the cluster network. The state has projected a 15 to 20 per cent rise in productivity in vegetables and cereals.

What benefits does Him Unnati Yojana give?

Assured procurement of naturally grown grain. This is the component that matters most in cash terms. The state government procures up to 20 quintals of naturally grown grain per family at Rs 40 per kg for wheat and Rs 30 per kg for maize. At the ceiling, a family selling 20 quintals of wheat receives up to Rs 80,000. Himachal Pradesh was the first state in the country to offer a minimum support price on naturally grown produce, and that price sits far above the ordinary open-market rate for wheat.

Farmer Producer Organisations. Rs 50 crore was earmarked to establish 10 new Farmer Producer Organisations. An FPO is what lets a cluster aggregate produce, buy inputs in bulk and sign a supply contract that no individual smallholder could sign alone.

Fencing assistance. Rs 10 crore was set aside for assistance with wire mesh and barbed wire. Crop damage by stray cattle, monkeys and wild boar is the most common reason land in Himachal's mid hills is left uncultivated, and fencing a cluster is far cheaper per hectare than fencing individual plots.

Cluster-level input and training support. Within each cluster the department supports the crop package chosen for that cluster, extension and training, and linkage to the department's other schemes.

Convergence with other departments. Him Unnati Yojana integrates ongoing agricultural schemes and coordinates with Animal Husbandry, Horticulture, Fisheries and Rural Development, so a cluster can access dairy, orchard or fisheries support without a separate scheme-by-scheme approach.

Budget position. The Agriculture Department records Rs 15 crore allocated in 2024-25 with Rs 1.35 crore spent, and Rs 20 crore allocated for 2025-26. The Rs 150 crore figure is the announced size of the scheme, not a single year's spend, and the year-to-year allocation is what actually limits sanctions.

Who is eligible for Him Unnati Yojana?

You can benefit if:

• You are a farmer in Himachal Pradesh cultivating land in the state.
• Your land falls within a cluster identified under the scheme, whether an Agriculture Department cluster, a Natural Farming cluster or a JICA project cluster.
• You are practising natural farming and are verified as such, if you want to sell wheat or maize at the scheme's procurement rates.
• You hold a bank account in your own name for direct benefit transfer of both input assistance and procurement payments.
• You are a member of, or willing to join, the cluster group or Farmer Producer Organisation formed in your area.
• You grow cereals, vegetables, fruits or cash crops, the scheme is not restricted to a single commodity.

You cannot claim under the scheme if:

• You are not a farmer of Himachal Pradesh.
• Your village has not yet been taken up as a cluster in the current phase. The scheme is implemented phase-wise, so an eligible farmer in an un-notified area simply waits for a later phase.
• You use chemical fertiliser and pesticide and want the natural farming procurement price. The higher rate is confined to verified naturally grown produce.
• You want to sell more than 20 quintals per family at the procurement rate. The ceiling is per family, not per person.
• You are a trader buying grain from other farmers to resell into the procurement window. Procurement is from producers.
• Your land records do not support the area you have declared.

How to apply for Him Unnati Yojana

1. Register on the AgriDBT portal. Open agridbt.hp.gov.in, the Himachal Pradesh Agriculture Department's scheme application portal, and create a farmer account using your Aadhaar and mobile number. The department directs Him Unnati Yojana applicants to this portal.
2. Complete your farmer profile. Enter your land details, village, block and district, and the crops you grow, and link the bank account into which payments should come.
3. Select Him Unnati Yojana or the relevant component from the scheme list and fill in the application, stating the area and crop you propose to bring under the cluster activity.
4. Upload the documents — Aadhaar, land record, bank passbook and residence proof, plus natural farming verification if you intend to sell at the natural farming procurement rate.
5. Meet your Agriculture Development Officer. Cluster formation is done at the block level, so contact the Agriculture Development Officer or Subject Matter Specialist at your development block to have your plot mapped into the cluster and to join the cluster group or FPO.
6. Get the field verification done. The block staff verify the area, the crop and, for natural farming cases, the practices being followed.
7. Register for procurement before harvest. For wheat or maize you intend to sell at Rs 40 or Rs 30 per kg, register the quantity with the block office ahead of the procurement window, because purchase is capped at 20 quintals per family.
8. Deliver and collect payment. Take the grain to the designated procurement point with your registration slip. Payment comes into the registered bank account by direct benefit transfer.

How do I check my application or payment status?

Log in to agridbt.hp.gov.in with your registered credentials and open the application status option, which shows the stage of each application and the payment position for approved cases.

For questions the portal cannot answer, the Department of Agriculture publishes these contacts: telephone 0177-2830162 and 0177-2830618, toll free 1800-180-1551, and email krishibhawan-hp@gov.in. For anything to do with cluster membership, field verification or a procurement slip, the block Agriculture Development Officer is the right person.

Why do claims get rejected or delayed?

• Village not yet covered by a cluster. Since implementation is phase-wise, many otherwise eligible farmers are simply not in scope in the current phase.
• Natural farming status not verified. Selling at the natural farming procurement rate requires verification of the practice, not a self-declaration.
• Bank account not seeded or not in the applicant's name, which is the usual cause of a failed direct benefit transfer.
• Land record does not match the declared area.
• Quantity above the 20 quintal per family ceiling offered at the procurement point.
• Registration missed before the procurement window opened, so the grain cannot be accepted at the scheme rate that season.
• Annual allocation exhausted. With Rs 15 crore released in 2024-25 and Rs 20 crore in 2025-26 against an announced Rs 150 crore scheme, components are rationed within the year.

What are the key dates?

Him Unnati Yojana is open through the year, but three timings decide whether a farmer actually gets anything.

• Cluster identification happens phase-wise. Ask your block office when your panchayat is scheduled, and get your name into the cluster list when it is.
• Procurement registration must be done before the wheat or maize purchase window opens for the season. Wheat is a rabi crop harvested in spring; maize is a kharif crop harvested in autumn.
• The financial year ends 31 March, and allocations are made against it.

Where do I complain if something goes wrong?

Raise the matter first with the Agriculture Development Officer of your development block, then with the Subject Matter Specialist and the Deputy Director of Agriculture at your district headquarters.

The Department of Agriculture, Himachal Pradesh can be reached on 0177-2830162 and 0177-2830618, on the toll free number 1800-180-1551, or by email at krishibhawan-hp@gov.in. Its fax number is 0177-2830612. Portal problems on AgriDBT should be reported through the same office.

Keep your AgriDBT application number, your cluster membership record, your procurement registration slip and the weighment slip from the purchase centre. Payment disputes over naturally grown wheat and maize are settled on those papers.