Programme design
Bihar Diesel Anudan Yojana is a contingent irrigation-input subsidy that activates when the monsoon is deficient, when paddy nurseries or main fields are at moisture-stress risk, or when rabi sowing windows demand a rescue irrigation. The scheme reimburses diesel cost — currently notified at ₹75/litre — for farmer-operated pumpsets used during the cut-off window. The Bihar Agriculture Department issues a season-specific gazette notification listing the eligible districts, crops and irrigation cap per hectare.
Benefit structure
- Subsidy of ₹75/litre on diesel used for pump irrigation in notified districts.
- Per-crop cap on number of irrigations: typically 2 irrigations for paddy nursery, 5 irrigations for paddy main field, with separate slabs for jute, maize, makhana and rabi crops.
- Coverage usually capped at 8 ha-equivalents per farmer per season.
- Disbursed via DBT to Aadhaar-seeded bank account.
Eligibility
- Raiyat (land-owning) farmers of Bihar.
- Non-raiyat (sharecropper) farmers with co-signed self-declaration by landowner or Panchayat Sevak.
- Holding a diesel-pump (own or hired); diesel purchase receipt within the notification window is mandatory.
- Land record (Bihar Bhumi khasra) or sharecropper declaration validating cultivator-land linkage.
- Aadhaar-seeded bank account for DBT credit.
How to apply — step by step
- On gazette notification of a diesel-anudan window issued by the District Agriculture Officer, visit dbtagriculture.bihar.gov.in within the cut-off (usually 15–30 days from notification).
- Log in with the AgriStack Farmer ID (or Aadhaar OTP); select the diesel-anudan service.
- Enter khasra-wise area, crop, irrigation event number, litres of diesel used, and upload the dealer receipt.
- Agriculture Coordinator + Panchayat Sevak verify pump and field; for sharecroppers, landowner or village head co-signs the declaration.
- DBT of (litres × ₹75) credited within 30–60 days of verification, subject to per-crop and per-farmer caps.
- Re-apply for each subsequent irrigation event within the same season as the gazette permits.
Latest changes (2024 — 2026)
- 2024 Kharif: Diesel anudan window opened for paddy-nursery and main-field irrigation across Magadh and Mithilanchal divisions; rate retained at ₹75/litre.
- March 2025: dbtagriculture.bihar.gov.in integrated AgriStack Farmer ID; repeat applicants now see auto-populated Aadhaar, bank and land details.
- August 2025: e-receipt of diesel-dealer purchases accepted in place of paper bills, reducing village-level paperwork.
- 2025-26: Coverage cap retained at ~8 ha-equivalents; per-irrigation litre cap tightened to curb leakage. Exact FY 2025-26 outlay not published as of 2025-26.
Common rejection reasons + appeal
- Diesel receipt missing or outside window: only purchases dated within the notification window are reimbursable.
- Bihar Bhumi mismatch: khasra-owner name differing from Aadhaar — remediate at the Anchal Office.
- Sharecropper declaration unsigned: without landowner or Panchayat Sevak co-signature, non-raiyat claims are rejected.
- Per-crop irrigation cap exceeded: claims beyond the notified events-per-crop are pro-rated.
- Aadhaar — bank seeding failure: DBT credit fails on NPCI side; remediate at the bank branch with Form-26.
- Duplicate claim: same khasra and same irrigation event claimed twice; system blocks at portal level.
Grievance: Panchayat Sevak → Block Agriculture Officer → District Agriculture Officer → Bihar Agriculture Department Director. dbtagriculture.bihar.gov.in routes complaints through the state Lokshikayat portal; written appeal to DAO within 30 days of rejection is standard.
How Diesel Anudan stacks with other schemes
Diesel Anudan runs alongside Krishi Input Anudan Yojana (input subsidy for ≥33 % crop damage) and Bihar State Fasal Sahayata Yojana (BSFSY). Bihar opted out of PMFBY in 2018 so the diesel-anudan + KIAY + BSFSY trio fills the central insurance gap. PM-KISAN remains available for ₹6,000/year income support, and KCC at MISS finances input cost at 4 % effective. PM-KUSUM Component-B (solar pumps) is also live in Bihar and reduces future diesel dependence at the same farmer level.
Coverage statistics
In years of widespread monsoon deficiency (2022, 2023), Bihar disbursed several hundred crore rupees under the diesel-anudan window across all 38 districts. Per Bihar Agriculture Department data tabled in the Vidhan Sabha, eligible farmer counts exceed 25 lakh in deficit years. Exact district-wise figures for FY 2024-25 and FY 2025-26 are published in the state Department of Agriculture annual report and budget documents.
Related
- Bihar state guide.
- Paddy crop guide — diesel-anudan is most often invoked for paddy nursery and main-field rescue.