Maharashtra govt pushes for inclusion of 3 more projects in PM agriculture scheme

Maharashtra government has urged the Centre to include three new irrigation projects worth Rs 11,234 crore. (Represetational Image)

The state government has urged the Centre to include three new irrigation projects worth Rs 11,234 crore — Jigaon in Vidarbha, Sulwade Jamphal in north Maharashtra and Jihe Katapur in western Maharashtra — in the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY). Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, in a formal request to the Centre, said, “There were 26 irrigation projects listed under the PMKSY from Maharashtra. Of these, work in three projects – lower Panzara, Warna major and Dongargaon medium – have been completed in July 2017. Therefore, we request the Centre to include three more irrigation projects being pursued by the state to be incorporated under PMKSY.”

The state government also provided a note to the Centre on the significance of each of these projects and how it would impact people in the three regions. The Jigaon major irrigation project in Vidarbha covers six talukas from Buldana district and two talukas in Akola district. The project in the cotton belt, which is in an advanced state of construction, will require Rs 7,740.80 crore. Till now, the total expenditure incurred is Rs 2,497.12 crore. The balance required is Rs 5,243.68 crore. The project, which would impact 1,055.64 hectares of forest land, has been given the clearance by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), the note said.

In its note, the state government said, “Sulwade Jamphal Kanoli lift irrigation is a major project in the drought prone area of Dhule district. The total project cost is Rs 2,407.67 crore. The project also has MoEF clearance.” The Jihe Katapur Lift Irrigation project will help in addressing water crisis in drought-prone talukas of Khatav and Man in Satara district of western Maharashtra. The project cost is Rs 1,085.54 crore. MoEF clearance was sought as it would affect 0.8 hectares of forest land. Two years ago, the Centre had approved 99 irrigation projects under PMKSY across the country. The total budget for these projects was estimated to be Rs 77,595 crore.

The Centre has responded positively to the state request. Union Minister for Water Resources Nitin Gadkari said, “Of the total 99 irrigation projects listed under PMKSY, maximum are from Maharashtra. The Centre has included 26 projects from the state. The Centre is positive to the demands made by the Fadnavis government related to irrigation projects.”