Lok Sabha Question No. 808 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-07
Subject: PMKSY
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Sanjay(Kaka) Ramchandra Patil, Beesetti  Venkata Satyavathi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI

## DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 808

## ANSWERED ON 07.12.2023

## PMKSY

## 808. SHRI SANJAY KAKA PATIL DR. BEESETTI VENKATA SATYAVATHI

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a)  whether  the  Pradhan  Mantri  Krishi  Sinchayee  Yojana  (PMKSY)  has  been  successful  in  reducing  the monsoon dependency of farmers who are unable to avail irrigation methods, especially considering that the percentage of net irrigated area to total crop area in the country is only 34.5 per cent;

(b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;

(c) whether the Government proposes to reduce the current twelve per cent GST rate on drip and sprinkler equipment used for irrigation by farmers;

(d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;

(e) whether the Government has initiated any research for the development of innovative and cheap micro irrigation facilities for small scale farmers; and

(f) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## 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 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 has Watershed Development (WD) component which is being implemented by  Department  of  Land  Resources.  Further,  during  the  period  2015-22,  Per  Drop  More  Crop  (PDMC) component was also being implemented by Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (DoA&FW) under PMKSY. However, thereafter, it is being implemented by DoA&FW as a part of Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana.

Irrigation potential created, thereby reducing dependency on monsoon, through various components of PMKSY during 2016-2023, is tabulated below.

| Schemes                                            | Irrigation potential created during 2016-23 (in thousand hectare)   |
|----------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------|
| PMKSY-AIBP with paripassu implementation of CAD&WM | 2,536.05                                                            |
| PMKSY- HKKP- SMI and RRR of water bodies           | 366.29                                                              |
| PMKSY-HKKP - GWDevelopment                         | 87.24                                                               |
| PMKSY- Per Drop More Crop                          | 7,274.75                                                            |
| PMKSY-Watershed Development                        | 1,264.74                                                            |
| Total                                              | 11,529.07                                                           |

- (c) No, Sirs.
- (d) The issue was discussed in 45th meeting of the GST Council held in September, 2021. The Council was of the view that a blanket exemption on all agriculture sector inputs will be difficult to implement and prone to evasion. It also opined that granting of such exemption to all types of farm inputs will lead to inverted duty structure, and blockage of funds for the suppliers of these goods. Accordingly, the GST Council recommended maintaining status quo regarding GST rates for drip and sprinkler equipment used for irrigation by farmers.
- (e)  &  (f) The  Indian  Council  of  Agricultural  Research  (ICAR)  has  undertaken  research  to  develop innovative  and  cheap  irrigation  systems  through  All  India  Coordinated  Research  Project  (AICRP)  on Integrated Water Management programme. Some of the initiatives taken thereby, are given below.
-  A low-cost gravity-fed micro irrigation system for small land holdings (i.e., land area of 200 500 m 2 ) in different agro-ecosystem of the country has been developed.
-  In  the  north-eastern  hilly  region,  a  low-cost  bamboo  drip  irrigation  system  has  been developed. This has demonstrated improved water productivity and better benefit-cost ratio, compared to traditional surface irrigation system.
-  In  Uttrakhand,  small  water  harvesting  structures  based  micro-irrigation  systems  facilitating kiwi fruit cultivation in hilly / undulated terrain, have been developed.
-  A  low  pressure  drip  irrigation  system  for  flower  cultivation  in  black  soil  regions  of Maharashtra,  using  water  stored  in  traditional  water  bodies  called  jal-kunds,  has  been developed.

*****