Nanaji Deshmukh Krishi Sanjivani Prakalp (PoCRA)

What is Nanaji Deshmukh Krishi Sanjivani Prakalp?

Nanaji Deshmukh Krishi Sanjivani Prakalp, commonly called PoCRA or the Project on Climate Resilient Agriculture, is a World Bank-assisted project of the Agriculture Department, Government of Maharashtra. The project became operational on 18 May 2018 with a six-year horizon and a total outlay of about Rs 4,000 crore, of which the World Bank share is roughly Rs 2,800 crore (70 per cent) and the state government share about Rs 1,200 crore (30 per cent).

Nanaji Deshmukh Krishi Sanjivani Prakalp targets the driest and most rainfall- variable parts of Maharashtra: Marathwada, Vidarbha and the saline belt of the Purna river valley, plus drought-prone pockets of North and Western Maharashtra. The stated aim, in the project's own words on mahapocra.gov.in, is to raise the climate resilience and the profitability of smallholder farming systems rather than simply to hand out equipment.

Phase 1 covered 5,142 villages in 16 districts. Phase 2, referred to publicly as PoCRA 2.0, has been approved for roughly 6,959 villages across 21 districts, adding new talukas and carrying forward the same DBT-based delivery model. The project is run by a Project Management Unit at the World Trade Centre, Cuffe Parade, Mumbai, with district and taluka implementation through the existing agriculture machinery.

What the project actually does

• Funds farm-level assets: drip and sprinkler irrigation, farm ponds and pond linings, wells, pump sets, shade nets, poly houses, fruit orchards and protected cultivation structures.
• Funds village-level natural resource works such as nala deepening, compartment bunding and recharge structures, planned through a community Village Development Plan.
• Supports Farmer Producer Companies, SHGs and village groups for seed production, custom hiring centres, godowns and primary processing.
• Runs the "Vikel Te Pikel" market-led production approach and the MahaVISTAAR-AI advisory chatbot, which answers farmer questions in Marathi and English.

Who is eligible for PoCRA?

You can claim PoCRA benefits if:

• Your farm land falls in a notified PoCRA project village. This is the single hardest condition. A farmer in a neighbouring non-project village in the same taluka cannot claim, however similar the farm.
• You hold a 7/12 extract and an 8-A extract in your own name, or you are a recorded joint holder with a consent letter from the other holders.
• You are registered on the PoCRA DBT portal with an Aadhaar-seeded bank account.
• You are applying for an asset you have not already received under another government scheme for the same land parcel.

Small and marginal farmers holding up to 2 hectares, women farmers, SC and ST farmers, and farmers in the Purna saline belt receive priority in selection and, for several components, a higher subsidy rate.

Groups can also apply. Farmer Producer Companies, Farmer Producer Groups, Self Help Groups and registered village-level groups apply through the same DBT portal under the community and FPO categories, typically for shared assets such as custom hiring centres, godowns, grading units and seed processing.

You cannot apply if:

• Your village is not on the project village list. The list is published on mahapocra.gov.in and is the first thing to check.
• The land is not recorded in your name and you have no consent from the recorded holder, pure tenant cultivators without documentation are not eligible for land-based components.
• You have already drawn a subsidy for the same component on the same survey number under PoCRA or another state or central scheme.
• You bought or built the asset before receiving pre-sanction. Retrospective claims are not entertained.
• Your bank account is not seeded with Aadhaar, in which case the DBT payment cannot be routed even after approval.

Landless agricultural labourers are a special case. They cannot claim land-based components, but allied livelihood support such as small ruminant rearing is routed to them through village-level groups.

What documents are required for PoCRA?

How to apply for Nanaji Deshmukh Krishi Sanjivani Prakalp online

1. Open dbt.mahapocra.gov.in and confirm your village appears in the project village list before doing anything else.
2. Select the farmer category and complete new registration (नवीन नोंदणी) using your Aadhaar number and a mobile number that can receive an OTP.
3. Log in through applicant login (अर्जदार लॉगिन) and complete your profile with land details from the 7/12 extract, bank account number and IFSC, and category.
4. Choose the component you want, for example drip irrigation, farm pond, shade net or fruit orchard, and file a component-wise application, attaching the 7/12, 8-A, bank passbook and supplier quotation.
5. Wait for the village Krishi Sahayak to verify your record and for the system to issue pre-sanction (पूर्वसंमती). Do not buy anything before this.
6. Complete the work within the period stated in the pre-sanction letter, then log back in and upload the final bill, payment proof and geo-tagged photographs.
7. Attend the field verification by the agriculture officer, who records the measurement on the portal.
8. Track the claim under your dashboard until the status changes to payment released; the money reaches your Aadhaar-seeded account by DBT.

How to apply offline or with help

1. Visit your village Krishi Sahayak or the Taluka Agriculture Officer with Aadhaar, 7/12, 8-A and bank passbook.
2. Ask them to help you register and file the application on the DBT portal, the process is online-only, but assisted filing at the taluka office is routine and free.
3. Alternatively use a Common Service Centre (CSC) or a Mahaonline centre. A small government-notified service charge may apply for typing and scanning.
4. Collect the application acknowledgement number and keep it for tracking.

How much benefit does PoCRA give?

PoCRA does not pay a single flat amount. Assistance is component-wise and percentage-based, calculated on cost norms notified by the Agriculture Commissionerate for that financial year. Across the project's 25-plus interventions the subsidy share runs from roughly 45 per cent for larger farmers on some components to up to 100 per cent for small and marginal farmers on selected soil, water and demonstration activities.

Typical categories of assistance include:

• Micro-irrigation; drip and sprinkler sets, where PoCRA adds a state top-up over the central micro-irrigation share for project-village farmers.
• Water storage and lifting; farm ponds, farm pond lining, wells, pump sets and pipes.
• Protected cultivation — shade nets, poly houses and poly tunnels.
• Horticulture: new fruit orchards and orchard rejuvenation.
• Allied livelihoods: goat and small ruminant units, poultry and beekeeping, particularly for women's groups and landless households.
• Post-harvest and FPO support: godowns, grading and sorting units, custom hiring centres and primary processing for farmer groups.

Because the per-unit cost norms are revised each year, treat any figure you see on a private website as indicative and confirm the current rate on the DBT portal or with your Taluka Agriculture Officer before committing money.

How to check your PoCRA application status

1. Log in at dbt.mahapocra.gov.in with your registered mobile number and OTP.
2. Open the application status section on your dashboard.
3. Read the stage shown: submitted, verified by Krishi Sahayak, pre-sanction issued, work completed, verification done, or payment released.
4. If a stage has been unchanged for weeks, note the application number and take it to the Taluka Agriculture Officer.

Payment status can also be confirmed with your bank, since PoCRA money arrives as a DBT credit referencing the project.

Why PoCRA applications get rejected

• Village not in the project list, the most common reason, and one no appeal can fix.
• Asset purchased before pre-sanction. The portal requires the pre-sanction date to precede the bill date.
• Name mismatch between Aadhaar, the 7/12 extract and the bank account.
• Bank account not Aadhaar-seeded, so DBT fails even after approval.
• Duplicate claim for the same survey number and component under another scheme.
• Missing consent from other joint holders on a shared 7/12.
• Poor or ungeotagged photographs, or work that does not match the sanctioned specification on measurement.
• Annual target exhausted for that component in that district, in which case the application is carried forward rather than rejected on merit.

Most of these are fixable. Correct the record at the talathi office for land issues, seed your Aadhaar at the bank branch for payment issues, and re-file in the next window if the target was exhausted.

Key dates and current status

Nanaji Deshmukh Krishi Sanjivani Prakalp started on 18 May 2018 as a six-year project running to 2024. The state government has since approved a second phase, PoCRA 2.0, expanding coverage to about 6,959 villages in 21 districts. Component windows open on the DBT portal through the year and close when the district target for that component is used up, so there is no single last date. The practical advice is to file early in the financial year.

Help and grievance redressal

• PoCRA helpline: 7900164314
• Project information line: 022-22163352, Monday to Friday, 9:45 a.m. to 6:15 p.m.
• Email: pmu@mahapocra.gov.in
• Project Management Unit: 30 A/B, Arcade, World Trade Centre, Cuffe Parade, Mumbai 400005
• State grievance portal: grievances.maharashtra.gov.in
• MahaVISTAAR-AI chatbot on mahapocra.gov.in for routine farming and scheme questions in Marathi and English

Registration and application on the PoCRA DBT portal are free. No agent can guarantee sanction, and no officer will ask for a share of the subsidy.