Lok Sabha Question No. 2698 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-16
Subject: PMKSY
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Dibyendu Adhikari

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI, DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2698

## ANSWERED ON 16.03.2023

## PMKSY

## 2698. SHRI DIBYENDU ADHIKARI

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a)  whether  the  Government  has  proposes  to  have  any  special  package  for  the  irrigation  projects  to address agrarian distress in the country under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY);

(b) if so, the details thereof; and

(c) the action taken/proposed to be taken by the Government for hilly and drought prone areas of the State of West Bengal?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI ( SHRI BISHWESWAR TUDU )

(a) & (b) Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) was launched during the year 2015-16, with  an  aim  to  enhance  physical  access  of  water  on  farm  and  expand  cultivable  area  under  assured irrigation,  improve  on-farm  water  use  efficiency,  introduce  sustainable  water  conservation  practices, etc.

PMKSY is an umbrella scheme, consisting of two major components being implemented by this Ministry, namely, Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (AIBP), and Har Khet Ko Pani (HKKP). HKKP,  in  turn,  consists  of  four  sub-components,  being  Command  Area  Development  &  Water Management (CAD&WM), Surface Minor Irrigation (SMI), Repair, Renovation and Restoration (RRR) of  Water  Bodies, and Ground Water (GW) Development component. However, the CAD&WM subcomponent of HKKP is being implemented pari-passu with AIBP.

In addition, PMKSY also consists of two components being implemented by other Ministries. Per Drop  More  Crop  (PDMC)  component,  being  implemented  by  Department  of  Agriculture  Farmers Welfare, was implemented as a part of PMKSY till December, 2021. Further, Watershed Development component (WDC) of PMKSY is being implemented by Department of Land Resources.

Special  provisions  have  been  kept  for  agrarian  distressed  regions  of  the  country  in  some  of  the components of PMKSY being implemented by this Ministry. Under AIBP, projects belonging to special category areas,  namely,  those  benefitting  Drought  Prone  Area  Programme  (DPAP)  &  Desert Development  Programme  (DDP)  areas,  Tribal  area,  Flood  prone  area,  Left  Wing  Extremist  area,

Bundelkhand, Vidarbha, Marathwada and KBK (Odisha), are provided central assistance at 60%,  as against 25% for other areas (except north eastern and hilly states where central assistance is prescribed at 90%). Further, The advanced stage criteria is also not applicable for projects having more than 50% of  their  command  benefitting  Drought  Prone  Area  Programme  (DPAP)  or  Desert  Development Programme (DDP) area, Tribal  area,  Flood  prone  area,   left  wing  extremism  affected  area,  Koraput, Balangir and Kalahandi (KBK) regions of Odisha, Vidarbha & Marathwada regions of Maharashtra and Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh & Uttar Pradesh, or any project in State having irrigation (net irrigated area as percentage of net sown area) below national average.

Further,  under  SMI  component  of  PMKSY  being  implemented  by  this  Ministry,  schemes benefitting tribal, drought prone development programme, desert development programme, flood prone, or   left  wing extremism affected areas are eligible for financial assistance under the scheme. Further, additional  relaxations  have  also  been  provided  under  the  scheme  to  cater  to  special  category  States: North-Eastern states, Hilly states (Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Uttarakhand) and drought prone undivided Koraput, Bolangir and Kalahandi (KBK) districts of Odisha, Bundelkhand region of UP and MP, and Marathwada & Vidharbha region of Maharashtra  for projects benefitting  provisions. Schemes benefitting areas other than the above mentioned areas, are not eligible for financial assistance under the scheme.

(c) Government of India provides technical support and, in some cases, partial financial assistance in terms  with  its  existing  schemes  for  the  irrigation  projects.  However,  it  is  for  the  State  Government concerned to take up irrigation projects as per their own resources and priorities.

Teesta Barrage project, which aims at creating irrigation potential of 5.27 lakh hectare in terai areas of  West Bengal, especially in Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts, is being provided central assistance under  National  projects  scheme  of  this  Ministry.  Though  the  project  was  to  be  completed  by  2015, however, in view of land acquisition issues, so far irrigation potential of 1.97 lakh hectare has  been created. The State Government is reviewing the scope of work by exploring the other alternatives like pipe irrigation system.

Further,  the  State  Government  has  informed  that  it  has  implemented  many  medium  and  minor irrigation  projects  under  State  development  schemes  to  ensure  irrigation  to  drought  prone  areas  in Purulia and Bankura districts of West Bengal.

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