Deep boring Solar based irrigation system is providing a new lease of life to farmers in electricity-deprived parts of Simdega through the Agriculture Technical Management Agency (ATMA). Around three thousand families of the districts are getting direct benefit from the scheme.

Earlier mono-cropping was prevalent across the district for several years due to lack of irrigation facilities now they are producing two to three crops in a year due to improved irrigation facilities provided by Simdega ATMA. Earlier people were forced to migrate to other places after monsoon for livelihood but now most of them are producing other cash crops after monsoon.

Simdega Deputy Commissioner (DC), Sushant Gaurav said that the main source of livelihood in agriculture for most of the people of the District and only 11 per cent is irrigated land in the district. “Irrigation facilities were very poor in the district during the off season. People leave their home for other districts or states for livelihood. Under the Special Central Assistance Fund the District Administration started this scheme to provide better irrigation facilities in remotest areas where electricity has not reached till now,” he added.

Gaurav said this scheme has proved boon for the farmers of the district and most of them are cultivating two or more than two crops in a year which increased their income many fold and changed their living standard. The district has been badly affected by migration which has been controlled to a certain extent, he added. 

Elaborating about the scheme on behalf of the Deputy Commissioner, ATMA Project Director, Krishna Bihari said that the work started in January of this year to installing deep boring Solar based irrigation system in remotest areas of the district and the department completed its target to install 164 irrigation system in different villages across the district. “Under this scheme the department provided a 2 HP of Solar panel run water motor pump to the beneficiary. The total cost of one such system is Rs 2 lakh”, he added.

 “After getting assurance from the beneficiary that he or she will provide irrigation facilities through the system to at least five households, we provide them the system. Under this scheme the beneficiary gets along with electricity facility, battery, inverter, cooking appliances and other things. More than three thousand families are getting direct benefit from the scheme,” said Krishna Bihar.

The Project Director also said that through this scheme the farmers are not only getting economic benefit but also it is also improving their living standard because it is providing electricity facility in the remotest areas where electricity has not reached so far.