Lok Sabha Question No. 1466 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-02-10
Subject: New Irrigation Technology
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Jyotirmay Singh Mahato, Dileshwar Kamait, Geeta Kora, Jugal Kishore Sharma

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. †1466

ANSWERED ON 10.02.2022

## NEW IRRIGATION TECHNOLOGY

| †1466.   | SHRI JYOTIRMAY SINGH MAHATO   | SHRI JUGAL KISHORE SHARMA   |
|----------|-------------------------------|-----------------------------|
|          | SHRIMATI GEETA KORA           | SHRI DILESHWAR KAMAIT       |

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  government  proposes  to  introduce  new  irrigation  technology  for  optimum  utilisation  of water and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the government is aware that adequate irrigation facilities are still not available to the farmers in various parts of the country;
- (c) if so, the details and the reasons therefor;
- (d) the details of the schemes being implemented by the government for irrigation and water conservation; and

(e) the steps taken by the government in this regard during the last three years along with the achievements made as a result thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(a) Water resources projects are planned, funded, executed, and maintained by the State Governments themselves as per their own resources and priorities. Role of Government of India is limited to providing technical support and, in some cases, partial financial assistance under the existing schemes implemented by the Ministry of Jal Shakti.

In order to supplement the efforts of the State Governments, Government of India has taken many important initiatives for widespread promotion of technological advancements in irrigation. Use of remote sensing  for  monitoring  of  projects  including  ground  water  table  estimation  &  cropped  area  assessment, SCADA based  systems  for  irrigation,  micro  irrigation,  underground  pipelines  for  distribution,  precisionirrigation, use of technology in watershed and springshed development for integrated development of rainfed areas through soil & water conservation including regeneration of ground water & arresting runoff, and use of  solar  pumps  for  ground  water  based  irrigation  in  favorable  regions,  are  some  such  measures  through which technology is being promoted in irrigation by Government of India.

(b) & (c) As per the data for 2018-19 provided by Directorate of Economics & Statistics, Ministry of Agriculture  &  Farmers  Welfare,  percentage  of  net  un-irrigated  area  over  net  area  sown  in  the  country  is estimated to be about 48.65%. Further, it is estimated that 40% of the net sown area is expected to remain rainfed even after attainment of full irrigation potential of the country. Augmentation of irrigation is to be taken up by State Governments as per availability of resources and priorities. Government of India provides catalytic, technical and financial support to the State Governments, for the same.

- (d) & (e) In order to supplement the efforts of the State Governments, Government of India has taken many important initiatives for irrigation and water conservation, the key amongst which are given below :
1. 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  implemented  by  this  Ministry, namely, Accelerated Irrigation Benefit 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.

In  addition,  PMKSY  also  consists  of  two  components  being  implemented  by  Ministries  other  than  Jal Shakti  Ministry.  Per  Drop  More  Crop  (PDMC)  component  is  being  implemented  by  Department  of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, while Watershed Development component (WDC)  is being implemented by Department of Land Resources.

Achievement made during last three years (2018-2021) in different components of PMKSY, are tabulated below.

|   Sl. No. | Scheme                                    | Achievements made in last 3 years (2018-2021)                                                                            |
|-----------|-------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|         1 | AIBP with pari-passu implementation CADWM | of Creation of 10.575 lakh hectare irrigation potential. 15 projects have been reported as completed during this period. |
|         2 | SMI                                       | An irrigation potential of about 0.95 lakh hectare is reported to be created.                                            |
|         3 | RRR                                       | A potential of 0.42 lakh hectare has been created.                                                                       |
|         4 | GW                                        | An additional area of 35.44 thousand hectare has been brought under irrigation through ground water.                     |
|         5 | PDMC                                      | 32.68 lakh hectare has been covered under micro irrigation                                                               |
|         6 | WDC                                       | 1.49 lakh hectare has been brought under plantation, and 3.28 lakh hectare wasteland has been made culturable.           |

2. In 2019, Jal Shakti Abhiyan was launched by the Government of India. This was followed in 2021, by  'Jal  Shakti  Abhiyan:  Catch  The  Rain'  (JSA:CTR)  campaign.  Focused  interventions  under  these annual campaigns taken up by the Government of India and the State Governments, inter-alia, include renovation of traditional and other water bodies/ tanks, enumeration, geo-tagging and making inventory of all water bodies, and removal of encroachments of tanks/lakes, and de-silting of tanks.

Since its launch till date, under JSA:CTR about 10.64 lakh water conservation and rain water structures have  been  completed,  1.79  lakh  number  of  traditional  water  bodies  have  been  renovated,  5.13  lakh reuse and recharge structures have been completed, and 15.32 lakh water bodies have been enumerated.

3.  Government of India has launched the first Census of water bodies in convergence with the Sixth round of Minor Irrigation Census (reference year 2017-18), under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme 'Irrigation Census'. The objective of the Census of Water bodies is to develop a national database for all water bodies in the country.

4.  Mahatma  Gandhi  National  Rural  Employment  Guarantee  Scheme  (MNREGS)  has  provisions  for public  works  relating  to  natural  resource  management,  water  conservation  and  water  harvesting structures  to  augment  and  improve  ground  water  like  underground  dykes,  earthen  dams,  stop  dams, check dams and roof top rain water harvesting structures in public buildings.

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