Lok Sabha Question No. 24 (STARRED), answered on 2019-02-05
Subject: Dependency on Monsoon
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: UDAY PRATAP SINGH

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, COOPERATION & FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK  SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 24

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 5 TH  FEBRUARY, 2019

## DEPENDENCY ON MONSOON

- *24.    SHRI UDAY PRATAP SINGH:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंी be pleased to state:

- (a) the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  reduce  dependency  on  monsoon  and compensate for the losses incurred due to damage of crops as a result of natural calamities during the last four years and the current year; and
- (b) the details of the funds allocated to Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh under Calamity Relief Fund during the said period, year-wise?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंी

(SHRI RADHA MOHAN SINGH)

- (a) & (b): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) & (b) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 24   DUE FOR REPLY ON 5 TH  FEBRUARY, 2019.

- (a): The Water Resources Projects are planned, funded, executed and maintained by the State  Governments  themselves,  as  per  their  own  resources  and  priority.    In  order  to supplement their efforts, Government of India provides technical and financial assistance to State  Governments  to  encourage  sustainable  development  and  efficient  management  of water resources through various schemes and programmes such as, Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (AIBP) under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) etc.

During  2016-17,  ninety-nine  (99)  on-going  Major/Medium  irrigation  projects  under PMKSY- AIBP, having ultimate irrigation potential of 76.03 lakh ha. at an estimated cost of Rs. 77595 crore (Central Assistance component of Rs. 31342 Crore) have been prioritized in consultation with States, for completion in phases up to December, 2019 along with their Command Area Development & Water Management (CADWM) works.  Funding mechanism through NABARD has been approved by the Government for both Central and State Share. Out of these, AIBP works of 31 projects have been completed.  During the period 2016-2018 irrigation potential of 53.46 lakh hectare has been created.

Since 2014-15, the following funds have been released to the States under AIBP and CADWM components:

| Year                        | Funds released (Rs. in crore)   | Funds released (Rs. in crore)   |
|-----------------------------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
|                             | AIBP                            | CADWM                           |
| 2014-15                     | 2151.70                         | 199.990                         |
| 2015-16                     | 2927.80                         | 1142.713                        |
| 2016-17                     | 5822.02                         | 853.956                         |
| 2017-18                     | 5593.60                         | 933.134                         |
| 2018-19(upto December 2018) | 2799.59                         | 1.197                           |
| Total                       | 17894.71                        | 3130.990                        |

-2-

Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare through ICAR-Central Research Institute for  Dryland  Agriculture  (CRIDA),  Hyderabad,  has  prepared  detailed  crop  Contingency Plans for 648 districts. States have been advised for preparing, updating, and fine-tuning Contingency  Plans  for  each  district  in  consultation  with  CRIDA-ICAR  and  the  State Agriculture Universities and to prepare location specific remedial measures based on these contingency plans in the event of late arrival of Monsoon, long dry spells, scanty rainfall, drought  conditions,  tying  up  availability  of  seeds  and  other  inputs  for  implementing  the Contingency Plans.

To  mitigate  the  advance  impact  of  drought,  State  Governments  are  advised  to initiate  advance  remedial  action  e.g.  constructing  water  harvesting  structures  under MGNREGA  and  other  such  schemes,  promoting  agronomic  practices  for  moisture conservation, promoting cultivation of less water consuming crops and restoring irrigation infrastructure  by  desilting  canals,  energizing  tube-wells  and  replacing/repairing  faulty pumps.  Further,  the  States  are  also  advised  to carry  out  periodic  assessment  of preparation for kharif crops, particularly contingency crops.

States  have  been  advised  to  keep  aside  about  5  to  10%  of  fund  allocated  under Rashtriya  Krishi  Vikas  Yojana  (RKVY)  for  undertaking  appropriate  interventions,  if  the situation  so  warrants,  to  minimize  the  adverse  impact  of  an  aberrant  monsoon  on  the agriculture  sector.  The  Central  Government  implements  Centrally  Sponsored  Schemes (CSS)  /  Central  Sector  (CS)  Schemes  such  as  Pradhan  Mantri  Krishi  Sinchai  Yojana (PMKSY),  the  Rainfed  Area  Development  Programme  (RAD),  National  Rural  Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP), etc. which contribute towards drought proofing . Twenty five percent of total outlay for all CSS Schemes (except for schemes, which emanate from a legislation, e.g., MGNREGA), can be used as flexi funds to enable mitigation/ restoration activities in cases of natural calamities.

Kisan Portal subsumes all mobile based initiatives in the field of agriculture and allied sector. Officers, Scientists and Experts from all organisations and Department of the Government of India and State Governments {including State Agricultural Universities (SAUs), Krishi Vigyan Kendras(KVKs) and Agro- Meteorological Field Units (AMFUs) } are using this Portal for disseminating information (giving topical & seasonal advisories and providing services through SMSs to farmers in their local languages) on various agricultural activities to registered farmers.

The  Department  of  Land  Resources  (DoLR)  is  currently  implementing  8214 watershed development projects in 28 States (except Goa) covering an area of about 39.07  million  hectares  under  the  Watershed  Development  Component  (WDC)  of  the Pradhan  Mantri  Krishi  Sinchayee  Yojana  (PMKSY)  principally  for  development  of rainfed portions of net cultivated area and culturable wastelands which includes drought prone areas of the country. The activities being undertaken inter alia include ridge area treatment, drainage line treatment, soil and moisture conservation, rain water harvesting' nursery raising, afforestation, horticulture, pasture development, livelihoods for asset less persons etc.

Since 2014-15 (upto 31.12.2018), 1010 WDC-PMKSY projects were sanctioned covering an area of 48.10 lakh hectare.  The following funds were released to the States since 2014-15:-

| Year                      |   Funds released (Rs. in crore) |
|---------------------------|---------------------------------|
| 2014-15                   |                         2284.63 |
| 2015-16                   |                         1487.83 |
| 2016-17                   |                         1471.72 |
| 2017-18                   |                         1691.81 |
| 2018-19 (upto 31.12.2018) |                         1059.65 |

Financial  assistance  is  provided  to  the  farmers  in  the  form  of  input  subsidy, where  crop  loss  is  33%  and  above,  in  the  event  of  notified  natural  calamities.  The assistance provided is different for different categories of cultivated lands, as detailed below:

| (a) For agriculture crops, horticulture crops and annual plantation crops   | (a)(i) Rs. 6800/- per hectare in rainfed areas and restricted to sown areas. (ii) Rs. 13,500/- per hectare in assured irrigated areas, subject to minimum assistance not less than Rs. 1000/- and restricted to sown areas.   |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| (b) Perennial crops                                                         | (b)Rs. 18,000/- per hectare for all types of perennial crops, subject to minimum assistance not less than Rs. 2000/- and restricted to sown areas.                                                                            |
| (c) Sericulture                                                             | (c) Rs, 4800/- per hectare for Eri, Mulberry, Tussar. Rs. 6000/- per hectare for Muga.                                                                                                                                        |

The Government of India has approved the following amount from the National Disaster  Response Fund to the States,  which submitted Memorandums in respect of drought, hailstorm and pest attack, during the last four years and the current year:

| Year    | Amount approved (Rs. in crores)   |
|---------|-----------------------------------|
| 2014-15 | 9017.998                          |
| 2015-16 | 15537.74                          |
| 2016-17 | 5563.28                           |
| 2017-18 | 2089.27                           |
| 2018-19 | 6691.77 (so far)                  |

- (b):      The details of funds approved by High Level Committee to Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh from National Disaster Response Fund, in respect of drought, since 2014-15, is as under:

(Rs. in Crore)

| State          | 2014-15       |   2015-16 | 2016-17       |   2017-18 | 2018-19       |
|----------------|---------------|-----------|---------------|-----------|---------------|
| Madhya Pradesh | No memorandum |   2032.68 | No memorandum |    836.09 | No memorandum |
| Chhattisgarh   | No memorandum |   1276.25 | No memorandum |    395.91 | No memorandum |

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