Nagpur News.
Vidharbha region includes 11 districts namely Yavatmal, Akola, Buldhana, Amravati, Washim, Nagpur, Wardha, Gondia, Bhandara, Gadchiroli and Chandrapur which are lagging behind in Industrial and Agriculture output and productivity. 65% of the population in Vidarbha region depends on agriculture and agriculture related occupation for their livelihood, said Cabinet Minister of Employment Guarantee and Water Conservation and Guardian Minister Dr Nitin Raut, while addressing a press meet held on August 22, 2014.
He said that approximately 15.27 lakh hectors of land in Vidharbha is cultivated under Cotton crop. Cotton and Rice cultivation are the two principal crops of farmers of this region. But scarcity and non-consistency of rainfall, lack of irrigation facilities, lack of micro-nutritional components in the soil, diseases on crops etc. doesn’t assure productivity in the crops. Dr Nitin Raut also opined that the agriculture productivity is very less in Vidharbha region as compared to State and country. Thus the agriculture in this region is very expensive and is financially unviable.
The agriculture in Vidharbha region has become very risky, as inferred in reports of various committees at different levels, research reports and agriculture specialist reports. In this view to assist and upgrade the irrigation facilities, to provide protective irrigation facilities in this region Vidharbha Intensive Irrigation Development Programme (VIIDP) was launched in the year 2012 by the Central Government, Dr Nitin Raut said.
Vidharbha Intensive Irrigation Development Programme is a time bound programme which has been implemented from 2012 to 2017 (for 5 years). There is a financial provision of Rs. 1719 Cr. for Agriculture and Soil conservation and Rs. 1459 Cr. for Small Scale Irrigation amounting to Rs. 3250 Cr for the programme.
This programme envisages in providing, a boon for the drought prone/ scarcity areas and long term measure for drought relief.
Since, the scheme needs to be implemented in the span of five years, the appointment of 56 Junior Engineer and 79 Technical Assistants were made on contract basis against the vacant posts in Small Scale Irrigation (Water Conservation) circle Amravati and Nagpur. Till date the Government has accorded administrative approval to 50 schemes in Amravati Division & 186 schemes in Nagpur Division.
An expenditure of Rs. 106.88 Crores has been incurred by Small Scale Irrigation completing 761 works. Agriculture and Soil Conservation have incurred an expenditure of Rs. 349.17 Cr. treating 3, 55,170.90 hector of agriculture land, totaling to Rs. 456.05 Cr. in the programme.
With this in mind, Dr Nitin Raut will launch 50 irrigation projects in Nagpur Region and 149 projects in Amravati Region on August 24, 2014, simultaneously.
The objectives behind the project is
1. To secure the irrigation system
2. To help in increasing underground water-level
3. To ensure rain-water conservation through micro-irrigation projects
4. To ensure proper harvest and effective irrigation projects on infertile land
5. To repair and maintain old weirs on the lines of Kolapur
Dr Nitin Raut also claimed that after he took charge, he was given Rs 150-200 Crores for Irrigation projects. With his hard work and his efforts his projects have now crossed Rs 1000 Crores. After he took charge, he has worked towards improving the irrigation systems across the entire state. He has ensured that the cemented canals which are broken are repaired, where need was, he has made cement-concrete canals. He has been instrumental in creating weirs, dams, and other water conservation systems.
Those places where agriculture was an impossible dream, has now become a reality with the irrigation projects which he had undertaken.
Those who addressed the press meet include Chief Engineer of Irrigation Dilip Pohekar, Principal Secretary of Water Conservation V Giriraj, Guardian Minister Dr Nitin Raut, Director of Agriculture Ambulgekar, Assistant Director of Agriculture Ghaute.
