The Chhattisgarh Government has ensured usage of nearly 73 per cent of the extended irrigation capacity which is far better than many other States of the country, officials stated.
The actual irrigation capacity for Kharif season has doubled whereas the irrigation capacity for Rabi season has increased by 10 times, they stated.
Notably, the Chhattisgarh Government had made all preparations to strengthen Central Government's Water Conservation and Management policy of ''Jal Kranti Abhiyaan'' (Water Revolution Mission).
A total of 54 severe water scarce villages have been selected for the Mission. Two villages from each of the 27 districts have been selected for the purpose .
Water Resources Department Secretary Dr B l Tewari held a meeting of the State-level Committee on recently at the Data Centre.
He reviewed the steps taken to implement the 'Jal Kranti Abhiyaan' in the State. Top Engineers of the Department participated in the meeting in Raipur.
Tewari said that the 'Jal Kranti Abhiyaan' is the top priority of the State Government.
Two severe water scarce villages from each of the 27 districts have been selected for the Mission.
Various Departments should closely co-ordinate to make water available for drinking water, irrigation and other basic necessities of the villagers, Tewari said.
He instructed the concerned officials to address the problems of the villages as early as possible. The officers of the Water Resources Department have been appointed as Nodal Officers of the 'Jal Kranti Abhiyaan'.
The Nodal officers will tour the problem villages every 15 days and redress the grievances. The District Collectors are being given responsibility to make the Mission a success. Janpad Panchayats and Gram Panchayats will also be kept in the loop in implementing the Mission, Tewari said.
He said that every drop of water is precious and the chosen villages will be asked to conserve and preserve water. Governmental, Non-Governmental and citizens will join hands to make the Mission a great success.
Chhattisgarh is among nine other states where the World Bank Assisted Project "Neeranchal" for the Watershed Component (Erstwhile Integrated Watershed Management Programme) of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayi Yojana (PMKSY) would now be implemented.
The decision was taken at the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) meeting chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, officials stated.
Apart from Chhattisgarh, the scheme would be implemented in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan and Telangana.
The total cost of the project is Rs 2142.30 crore of which the Government's share is Rs1071.15 crore (50 percent) and rest is the loan component from the World Bank.
The major objective of the Watershed Component of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayi Yojana (PMKSY) is for ensuring access to irrigation to every farm and efficient use of water.
Neeranchal will translate into better implementation outcomes of PMKSY. The programme will lead to reducing surface run-off of rainwater, increasing recharge of ground water and better availability of water in rainfed areas resulting in incremental rainfed agriculture productivity, enhanced milk yield and increased cropping intensity through better convergence related programmes in project areas.
Neeranchal is designed to further strengthen and provide technical assistance to the Watershed Component of PMKSY, in particular and all components of PMKSY, in general, to enhance its delivery capacity. Neeranchal will support the Watershed component of PMKSY (erstwhile IWMP) which was implemented by the Department of land Resources (DolR) in 28 States.
Watershed development projects are area development programmes and all people living in the project area will be benefitted.
The Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP) was implemented since 2009-10 by the DolR, for supporting watershed development in 28 States. From 2015-16 onwards, the IWMP will be implemented as the Watershed Component of PMKSY.
The potential of the watershed approach followed by the erstwhile IWMP to support both conservation and production outcomes including the availability of water in rainfed areas, catering to the needs of small and marginal farmers as well as the asset-less, including women, has been successfully demonstrated at scale across various States of India.
However, despite these successes, a number of challenges remain for watershed development to achieve better outcomes, including enhanced participation of communities, building stronger capacities and systems to plan, implement, monitor and post-project sustainability of local institutions and assets. These challenges, if not resolved, can result in implementation delays, slow disbursements and benefits, officials stated.