I am setting up irrigation on a new farm, what is the right order to plan it all?

Plan it in a sensible order so each decision feeds the next, instead of buying a system first and discovering problems later. First, settle your water source: how much water you have and how reliable it is, whether borewell, open well, canal on rotation, or a farm pond, and whether you need storage like a pond to bridge gaps. Second, get a water quality test, because the salinity, hardness, iron, and silt decide your filter and dripper type and warn you of clogging or salt risk. Third, choose the system to suit your crops: drip for row and wide spaced crops and vegetables where you also want fertigation, sprinkler for close growing field crops like wheat and groundnut. Fourth, get a proper design from an empanelled vendor based on your area, crop spacing, source yield, water quality, and slope, with a written layout and bill of material, not a lump sum. Fifth, sort the power: if grid supply is poor, consider a solar pump under PM-KUSUM sized to your need, ideally matched to the drip flow. Sixth, handle the subsidy: register on the state micro irrigation portal for drip or sprinkler under PMKSY Per Drop More Crop and on the PM-KUSUM portal for the pump, get administrative approval before installing, and confirm whether your state adjusts the subsidy at the bill or reimburses later. Seventh, do a simple ROI sum on your own share against the water, fertiliser, and labour savings plus any yield gain. Finally, plan for upkeep: filter cleaning, lateral flushing, periodic acid or chlorine treatment, and a vendor with local service. Throughout, confirm the current subsidy rates, cost norms, and empanelled vendors on your state portals, since these vary by state and change over time.