The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana.
The aim of this scheme is to reduce the farm sector’s dependence on monsoon. This scheme will provide irrigation facility to every village by converging the ongoing schemes being implemented by various Ministries.
The CCEA headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the scheme in which the government will spend Rs 50000 crore in 5 years.
In India, 65% of the total 142 million hectare of cultivable farm land is still not covered by irrigation.
The major objectives of the PMKSY are:-
- Achieve convergence of investments in irrigation at the field level.
- Expand cultivable area under assured irrigation (Har Khet ko pani).
- Improve on-farm water use efficiency to reduce wastage of water.
- Enhance the adoption of precision-irrigation and other water saving technologies (More crop per drop).
- Enhance recharge of underground water.
- Introduce sustainable water conservation practices.
The programme architecture of PMKSY aims at a ‘decentralized State level planning and execution’ structure, in order to allow States to draw up a District Irrigation Plan (DIP) and a State Irrigation Plan (SIP).
National level – The programme will be supervised and monitored by an Inter-Ministerial National Steering Committee (NSC) under the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister with Union Ministers of all concerned Ministries.
A National Executive Committee (NEC) is to be constituted to oversee programme implementation, allocation of resources, inter-ministerial coordination, monitoring and performance assessment, addressing administrative issues etc.
The Chairman of NEC will be the Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog.
State level – The scheme will be administered by a State Level Sanctioning Committee (SLSC) to be chaired by the Chief Secretary of the respective States.
District level – There will be a District level implementation committee for ensuring last mile coordination at the field level.
The other farmer friendly initiatives of the government are-
- Soil Health Card
- Pramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana – for promoting organic farming
- A dedicated Kisan Channel by Doordarshan
