Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) is a flagship irrigation and water management programme of the Government of India. Which one of the following is not an objective of PMKSY?

Introduction / Context:
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) is an important centrally sponsored scheme aimed at improving irrigation facilities and water management in Indian agriculture. Exams frequently test whether candidates can distinguish between the genuine objectives of this scheme and objectives that actually belong to other schemes, such as crop insurance. This question asks you to identify which among the listed statements is not an objective of PMKSY.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- Option A talks about achieving convergence of investment in irrigation at the field level.
- Option B refers to expanding cultivable area under assured irrigation facilities.
- Option C emphasises improving on farm water use efficiency and reducing wastage of water.
- Option D refers to protecting farmers against crop failure due to natural calamities, which resembles crop insurance objectives.
- The task is to pick the statement that does not match the core irrigation and water management focus of PMKSY.

Concept / Approach:
PMKSY is primarily focused on improving irrigation infrastructure, ensuring access to irrigation, and enhancing water use efficiency with the slogan more crop per drop. Its broad components include creation of new water sources, repair and renovation of existing structures, micro irrigation expansion and convergence of investments for better field level implementation. Protection against crop failure due to natural calamities, however, is the objective of crop insurance schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, not of PMKSY. The approach is therefore to match each option with these known objectives and identify the one that clearly belongs to another scheme.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Consider Option A, which talks about convergence of investment in irrigation at the field level. PMKSY explicitly aims to bring investments from various sources together for better field level irrigation planning, so this matches a genuine objective. Step 2: Consider Option B, which deals with expanding cultivable area under irrigation. One of the core goals of PMKSY is to ensure that more agricultural land receives assured irrigation, so this also reflects a real objective. Step 3: Consider Option C, which focuses on improving on farm water use efficiency to reduce wastage. PMKSY stresses micro irrigation and efficient techniques such as drip and sprinkler systems to achieve the more crop per drop goal, making this option consistent with the scheme. Step 4: Consider Option D, which aims to protect farmers against crop failure due to natural calamities. This is characteristic of crop insurance schemes and disaster relief measures, not of an irrigation and water management programme. Step 5: Since Option D does not fit within the irrigation and water use efficiency oriented objectives of PMKSY, it is the statement that is not an objective of the scheme.

Verification / Alternative check:
A quick cross check is to recall the broad grouping of agricultural schemes in India. PMKSY is always described alongside irrigation, watershed development and micro irrigation efforts. In contrast, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana is always discussed in the context of risk mitigation and insurance against crop loss due to natural calamities, pests and diseases. Option D closely resembles the core objective of crop insurance, not of irrigation. This clear conceptual separation confirms that Option D is not part of PMKSY's objectives.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A is wrong as the answer because it is a correct objective of PMKSY. The scheme emphasises convergence of investment at the field level by bringing together resources from different ministries and departments for integrated irrigation solutions.
Option B is wrong as the answer because PMKSY explicitly seeks to expand the area under assured irrigation, ensuring that more farmers have access to reliable water for cultivation.
Option C is wrong as the answer because improving on farm water use efficiency and reducing wastage is central to PMKSY's more crop per drop focus through micro irrigation technologies and better water management practices.

Common Pitfalls:
A common pitfall is to assume that any scheme related to agriculture must automatically include protection against crop failure, leading students to think that crop insurance is part of PMKSY. Another mistake is to blur the boundaries between different flagship schemes when studying them together, which can cause confusion between PMKSY and Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana. To avoid these errors, candidates should link PMKSY with irrigation, water management and micro irrigation, while associating crop failure protection and risk mitigation with crop insurance schemes.

Final Answer:
The statement that is not an objective of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana is to protect farmers against crop failure due to natural calamities.