The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) for 2021-26, with an outlay of Rs.93068 crore, on Wednesday.
The CCEA has authorized central support of Rs.37454 crore to states and debt servicing of Rs.20,434.56 crore for the loan taken out by the Government of India for irrigation development during PMKSY 2016-21.
The components of the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Program (AIBP), Har Khet ko Paani (HKKP), and Watershed Development have been approved for continuation from 2021 to 2026.
The Government of India's flagship program, the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Program aims to provide financial assistance to irrigation projects. AIBP's total additional irrigation potential creation target for 2021-26 is 13.88 lakh hectares. Apart from focusing on the completion of 60 existing projects, including the development of their 30.23 lakh acre command area, additional projects can also be taken up. The inclusion criteria for projects in tribal and drought-prone areas have been relaxed.
"Central financing of 90% of water component for two national projects namely Renukaji Dam Project (Himachal Pradesh) and Lakhwar Multipurpose Project (Uttarakhand), has been provisioned. The two projects would provide the start of storage in the Yamuna basin, benefiting six states of the upper Yamuna basin, augmenting water supply to Delhi as well as Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, UP, Haryana, and Rajasthan, and would be a major step towards rejuvenation of Yamuna," said union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw at the cabinet briefing.
Har Khet Ko Pani (HKKP) aims to improve physical access on the farm and expand cultivated areas under assured irrigation. Surface minor irrigation and the repair-renovation-restoration of water body component of PMKSY are expected to offer an additional 4.5 lakh hectares of irrigation under HKKP.
In view of the importance of water body rejuvenation, the Cabinet has approved a paradigm shift in funding for water body rejuvenation in both urban and rural regions, with major expansion of their inclusion criteria and an increase in central support from 25% to 60% in general.
Furthermore, the Ground Water component of the HKKP, which has been approved provisionally for 2021-22, aims to create 1.52 lakh hectares of irrigation potential, according to the government.
About PMKSY:
PMKSY, which was launched in 2015, is an umbrella scheme that provides central subsidies to state governments for certain initiatives detailed below. The Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation is responsible for two important components: the Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (AIBP) and Har Khet Ko Pani (HKKP).
HKKP is further divided into four sub-components: Command Area Development (CAD), Surface Minor Irrigation (SMI), Repair, Renovation, and Restoration (RRR) of Water Bodies, and Ground Water Development.
The Department of Land Resources is also in charge of implementing the Watershed Development part. Another component of PMKSY, Per Drop More Crop is being implemented by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
