Punjab Government has procured Rs377.63 crore from the Central Government, from 2009 to 2016, for the implementation of Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP) across the State.
State Rural Development and Panchayats Minister Sikander Singh Maluka said that the Centre had sanctioned 67 projects in 14 districts namely Hoshiarpur, Nawanshahar, Pathankot, Patiala, Jalandhar, ludhiana, Faridkot, Ropar, Kapurthala, Mohali, Tarn Taran, Fazilka, Gurdaspur and Mansa to treat 3,14,686 hectares of land under this programme.
Explaining the importance of Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP), Maluka said that the State Government had been striving hard for conserving and developing natural resources such as soil, vegetative cover, ground water table across the State.
An action plan had been chalked out by the State Government for implementing various preventive measures to stop soil erosion, adoption of rainwater harvesting techniques and recharging the ground water to enhance the crop productivity and to ensure good livelihood opportunities for small and marginal farmers of the State.
Regarding funding pattern between the Centre and the State, he said that earlier, it was 90:10 but during 2015-16, the Central Government, after changing the name of this scheme from IWMP to Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), funding pattern had also been changed to 60:40 ratio between Centre and State.
Maluka said that during 2015-16, Rs48.96 crore (Rs7.953 crore under IWMP, Rs27.82 crore for critical blocks, Rs11.80 crore for material cost of MGNREGA work and Rs1.3865 crore as institutional funds) had been released as Central share to the FD against the Action Plan of Rs114.34 crore.
Out of Rs48.96 crore, Rs30.5895 crore (Rs10.253 crore under IWMP, Rs18.95 crore for the treatment of critical blocks and Rs1.3865 crore as institutional funds) were drawn during 2015-16.
He said that during 2016-17 (up to July 31, 2016) Rs2.50 crores have been utilised for the treatment of 2100 hectares of land.
A target has been fixed to treat 1,02,100 hectares of land with the total cost of Rs122.52 crore during the current financial year and an Action Plan of Rs82.22 crore has been approved by the Centre for the treatment of critical blocks during the year 2016-17.