Formalities for starting the second phase of the decentralized watershed development programme, funded by World Bank, have been completed. After formalities are completed at the central level, the Board of Governors of World bank is to approve of this in May.
A meeting was held at the secretariat on Thursday, chaired by Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, between a team of World Bank and officials of Uttarakhand Government.
CM Bahuguna said that Human Resource and other facilities will be provided by the state government. He expressed hope that Gramya Phase II would enhance the skills and income of farmers and other rural people in the hill areas of the state. It would make markets and better prices available to them. The proposed duration of the project is from 2013 to 2020 in which period $ 140 million or Rs700 crore will be spent. Of this, 71.43 per cent ($100 million) will be spent by WB, 20.89 per cent ($ 29.25 m) by the state government and 17.68 per cent ($ 10.75 m) by the beneficiaries.
With this fund 82 micro watersheds will be made in eight districts including Dehradun, Tehri, Pauri, Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Almora, Bageshwar, Champawat and Pithoragarh. The project will benefit 3.18 lakh people of 509 Gram Panchayat. Market linkages will be strengthened and agro-business activity encouraged. Special attention would be given to farmers and the landless.
Present at the meeting were principal secretary Rakesh Sharma, SS Sandhu, Secretary Bhaskaranand and from the World Bank were present Norman Piccioni, Jockey Julien and Ranjan Samantaray.