The government is strengthening irrigation infrastructure in drought prone regions across the country through the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana, a flagship programme aimed at expanding irrigation coverage, improving water use efficiency and promoting sustainable water management in agriculture.
The scheme, launched in 2015 to enhance physical access of water on farms and increase cultivable area under assured irrigation, is being implemented through multiple components including the Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme and the Har Khet Ko Pani initiative.
Under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme component of the scheme, ninety nine ongoing major and medium irrigation projects and seven project phases were identified in consultation with states in 2016 to be completed in phases. Out of these, fifty nine projects are located in drought prone regions of the country, including seven projects that benefit drought affected areas of Andhra Pradesh.
To address the persistent challenges of irrigation development in water scarce regions, the government introduced special provisions under the scheme during the 2021 to 2026 implementation period. These provisions include relaxation of eligibility criteria for project selection and increased central financial support for projects located in drought prone areas.
Projects with more than fifty percent command area located in drought prone regions have been allowed inclusion under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme even if they have not achieved the earlier requirement of fifty percent physical progress. In addition, the funding pattern for projects located in general category states has been modified. The central share of funding has been increased from the standard 25 percent to 60 percent for projects benefiting drought prone areas, with the remaining share contributed by the respective states.
Since the approval of the scheme for the 2021 to 2026 period, nineteen major and medium irrigation projects have been taken up for funding under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme. Out of these, five projects directly benefit drought prone regions.
Among the projects included under the programme are the Jihe Kathapur Project in Satara district of Maharashtra, the Bodwad Parisar Sinchan Yojana Stage One covering Jalgaon and Buldhana districts in Maharashtra, the Lower Tapi Stage One Project in Jalgaon district, the Parwan Multipurpose Project in the districts of Baran, Jhalawar and Kota in Rajasthan, and the Kannadian Channel project in Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi districts of Tamil Nadu, which has been completed.
Financial assistance has been released to several projects under this programme during the last four financial years. The Jihe Kathapur Project in Maharashtra received central assistance of 32.54 crore rupees in 2022 to 2023, 26.81 crore rupees in 2023 to 2024, 141.92 crore rupees in 2024 to 2025 and 19.80 crore rupees in 2025 to 2026, creating irrigation potential of about 9.99 thousand hectares.
The Parwan Multipurpose Project in Rajasthan received central assistance of 154.88 crore rupees in 2023 to 2024, 203.4 crore rupees in 2024 to 2025 and 76.32 crore rupees in 2025 to 2026, contributing to irrigation development across Baran, Jhalawar and Kota districts.
The Kannadian Channel project in Tamil Nadu received 25.7 crore rupees in central assistance in 2022 to 2023 and has created irrigation potential of about 7.6 thousand hectares in Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi districts.
Alongside major and medium irrigation projects, the Har Khet Ko Pani component of the scheme is focusing on surface minor irrigation systems to expand water availability in drought affected regions. Under this component, fourteen clusters comprising 1731 surface minor irrigation projects have been included for implementation during the 2021 to 2026 period.
Out of these, three clusters consisting of 214 surface minor irrigation schemes are specifically targeted at drought prone regions. In Karnataka, 138 schemes launched in 2022 to 2023 across Kalaburagi and Yadagir districts received central assistance of 30 crore rupees in 2022 to 2023, 37.5 crore rupees in 2023 to 2024, 37.5 crore rupees in 2024 to 2025 and 80.54 crore rupees in 2025 to 2026. These projects have created irrigation potential of around 9.593 thousand hectares.
Additional schemes covering Dharwad and Tumkur districts of Karnataka have also been approved in the 2024 to 2025 financial year.
In addition to the national irrigation programme, the government has implemented a special package to address agrarian distress in drought prone regions of Maharashtra, particularly in the Vidarbha and Marathwada regions. Approved in July 2018, the package includes eight major and medium irrigation projects and eighty three surface minor irrigation projects.
Among these, the Tembhu Lift Irrigation Scheme covering Satara, Sangli and Solapur districts has received central assistance of 297.15 crore rupees and created irrigation potential of 96.32 thousand hectares. The Urmodi Project in Satara district received 38.25 crore rupees and created irrigation potential of 22.98 thousand hectares.
Other projects under the package include the Sulwade Jamphal Kanoli Lift Irrigation Scheme in Dhule district, the Shelgaon Barrage Medium Project in Jalgaon district, the Ghungshi Barrage Lift Irrigation Scheme and Purna Barrage Number Two project in Akola district, the Jigaon Project covering Buldhana and Akola districts, and the Warkhed Londhe Project in Jalgaon district.
A cluster of eighty three surface minor irrigation projects covering several districts of Vidarbha and Marathwada, including Amaravati, Akola, Washim, Yavatmal, Buldhana, Wardha, Aurangabad, Jalna, Nanded, Latur and Beed, has also received central assistance of 770.04 crore rupees to strengthen irrigation infrastructure and improve water availability for farmers.
Completed irrigation projects under the programme since 2016 have also contributed significantly to expanding irrigation potential across drought prone regions. Projects such as the Durgawati project in Bihar, the Maniyari Tank project in Chhattisgarh, the Sri Rameswar irrigation project and Bhima Lift Irrigation Scheme in Karnataka, and several canal phases of the Indira Sagar and Omkareshwar projects in Madhya Pradesh have collectively created substantial irrigation potential.
Major irrigation projects such as the Sardar Sarovar Project in Gujarat and the Gosikhurd project in Maharashtra are also contributing to expanded irrigation coverage across multiple districts.
Despite the ongoing implementation of irrigation projects in Andhra Pradesh under earlier phases of the scheme, no new project from the state has been included under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme or the Har Khet Ko Pani component in the last three years.
The government stated that the irrigation initiatives are aimed at improving water availability in drought prone areas, enhancing agricultural productivity and reducing vulnerability of farmers to water scarcity.
This information was provided by C R Paatil in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.
