The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the ‘Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojna‘ for 2021-2026 on Wednesday, which includes a provision to cover 90% of the water component for the Renukaji and Lahkwar dams, which will eventually improve water supplies to Delhi.
According to an official statement, the initiative will help around 22 lakh farmers, including 2.5 lakh farmers from scheduled castes and two lakh farmers from scheduled tribes. “Central finance of 90% of the water component has been provided for two national projects, namely Renukaji Dam Project (Himachal Pradesh) and Lakhwar Multipurpose Project (Uttarakhand),” it stated.
“The two projects would provide the start of storage in the Yamuna basin, benefiting six states in the upper Yamuna basin, augmenting water supply to Delhi as well as Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Rajasthan, and a major step towards Yamuna rejuvenation,” according to the statement. It also referred to the central government’s flagship Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Program (AIBP), which intends to provide financial assistance to irrigation projects.
The AIBP aims to create 13.88 lakh hectares of new irrigation potential between 2021 and 2026, and aside from completing 60 ongoing projects, including their 30.23 lakh acre command area development, further projects can be undertaken, according to the release. For projects in tribal and drought-prone areas, the eligibility criteria have been loosened.
The Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojna’s (PMKSY) surface minor irrigation and repair-renovation-restoration of water bodies components of the HKKP are expected to deliver an additional 4.5 lakh hectare irrigation, according to the statement.
The Cabinet has approved a paradigm change in funding for water body rejuvenation in both urban and rural areas, with considerable expansion of their inclusion requirements and an increase in central support from 25% to 60% in general areas, it said, citing the importance of water body rejuvenation.
According to the statement, the groundwater component of the HKKP, which has been approved provisionally for 2021-22, aims to create 1.52 lakh hectares of irrigation potential. The watershed development component focuses on developing rainfed areas in order to save soil and water, regenerate ground water, stop runoff, and promote water harvesting and management extension efforts.
During the period 2021-2026, the approved watershed development component of the Department of Land Resources plans to complete sanctioned projects covering 49.5 lakh hectares of rainfed and degraded lands, bringing an extra 2.5 lakh hectare under protected irrigation. According to the statement, the programme includes a special provision for the establishment of springsheds.
The PMKSY is an umbrella scheme that provides central grants to state governments for particular initiatives. It was launched in 2015. The AIBP and the HKKP are two main components of the department of water resources, river development, and Ganga rejuvenation, according to the statement. The HKKP is divided into four sub-components: Command area development (CAD), Surface minor irrigation (SMI), water body repair, renovation, and restoration (RRR), and ground water development, according to the report.
In addition, the watershed development part is being implemented by the department of land resources.