Mera Pani Meri Virasat
₹7,000–8,000 per acre for switching out of water-guzzling paddy into maize, cotton, pulses or bajra.
Run by: Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of Haryana
- Incentive
- ₹7,000–8,000/acre
- Applies to
- Kharif season only
- Alternative crops
- Maize, cotton, pulses, bajra
- Portal
- Meri Fasal Mera Byora
- Target zone
- Blocks with water table >40m deep
- Launched
- 2020, ~1 lakh ha target
Overview
Haryana's groundwater in the paddy belt is dropping fast, so the state pays farmers directly to grow something else in kharif instead of rice. The incentive is per acre, credited straight to the bank account, and covers maize, cotton, pulses, bajra and a short list of other approved crops.
Registration happens on the Meri Fasal Mera Byora portal alongside the farmer's regular crop declaration — there is no separate office visit needed if the land records are already updated there.
Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar launched the scheme in 2020, aimed initially at blocks where the water table had already fallen below 40 metres, with a target of shifting about one lakh hectare out of paddy in those blocks. In some notified years, the scheme has required a farmer to divert more than half of their usual kharif paddy area to qualify at all, rather than paying out on any partial switch — check the current year's guideline rather than assuming any diversion, however small, automatically qualifies. Over 53,000 farmers had registered under the scheme within its first couple of seasons.
What you get
The benefit as the state notifies it — nothing here is an estimate.
- ₹7,000–8,000 credited per acre for switching out of paddy in kharif.
- Covers maize, cotton, pulses, bajra and other notified alternative crops.
- Direct bank transfer, no middleman deduction.
- Helps cut the pumping load on falling groundwater in the paddy belt.
Who is eligible
State schemes usually state their criteria as prose rather than a checklist. This is that prose, unpacked — the department’s verification is what decides.
You qualify if
- Farmer owning or leasing agricultural land in Haryana
- Land was under paddy in a previous kharif season
- Farmer switches that land to an approved alternative crop this kharif
- In some notified years, the scheme has required diverting more than 50% of the farmer's usual kharif paddy area to qualify — check the current year's notification for the exact threshold
- Registered on the Meri Fasal Mera Byora portal with correct land record
Not covered
- Land continuing under paddy this season
- Unregistered land or mismatched khasra details
Documents you need
Have these ready before you start — most rejections are a missing paper, not a missing right.
- Aadhaar card
- Bank passbook linked to Aadhaar
- Land ownership or tenancy record (jamabandi)
- Meri Fasal Mera Byora registration number
How to apply
Fewer steps than a central scheme, and usually one office rather than a portal.
- 1
Register the crop switch
Log in to Meri Fasal Mera Byora and declare the field as sown with the alternative crop instead of paddy for this kharif.
- 2
Field verification
The agriculture department cross-checks the declaration against land records and, where needed, a field visit.
- 3
Payment
Once verified, the per-acre incentive is credited directly to the farmer's linked bank account.
If something goes wrong
Missing from the list, or payment stuck — here is the channel the department itself publishes for it.
- For a rejected declaration, a field-verification dispute, or a delayed payment, first contact your block-level agriculture office or raise it through the Meri Fasal Mera Byora portal's own support option.
- If unresolved, escalate through CM Window, Haryana's public grievance redressal and monitoring system, running since 25 December 2014 — file online at cmharyanacell.nic.in or in person at any e-Disha Kendra, DC office or SDM office. You get an SMS with a tracking number, and the prescribed maximum time for disposal is 45 days.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to register separately for this scheme?
No — it rides on the same Meri Fasal Mera Byora crop registration every Haryana farmer already does each season.
Can I switch only part of my paddy land?
Yes — the incentive is paid per acre actually switched, not on the whole holding. In some notified years, though, you have needed to divert more than half of your usual paddy area before any payout applies, so a token switch of a small strip may not qualify — check the current year's guideline.
Which crops qualify as the alternative?
Maize, cotton (narma), pulses, bajra and a few other notified kharif crops — check the current year's notification on agriharyana.gov.in for the exact list.
When did this scheme start, and is it open statewide?
Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar launched it in 2020, targeted initially at blocks where the water table had already fallen below 40 metres, with a goal of shifting about one lakh hectare out of paddy in those blocks specifically rather than the whole state at once.
How many farmers have actually taken this up?
Over 53,000 farmers registered under the scheme within its first couple of seasons — a genuine, actively used programme rather than a token announcement.
Facts checked against agriharyana.gov.in on 8 September 2026. editorial policy.