CENTRALLY SPONSORED SCHEME OF MICRO IRRIGATION UNDER PRADHAN MANTRI KRISHI SINCHAYEE YOJONA (PMKSY) PER DROP MORE CROP (PDMC) IN ASSAM.

Overview:-

The verbatim content of Hon’ble President of India’s address to the joint Session of the Parliament of 16th Lok Sabha is reproduced below:- “Each drop of water is precious. My government is committed to giving high priority to water security. It will complete the long pending irrigation projects on priority and launch the ‘Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana’ with the motto of ‘Har Khet Ko Paani’. There is a need for seriously considering all options including linking of rivers, where feasible; for ensuring optimal use of our water resources to prevent the recurrence of flood and drought. By harnessing rain water through ‘Jal Sanchay’ and ‘Jal Sinchan’, we will nurture water conservation and ground water recharge. Micro irrigation will be popularized to ensure ‘Per drop-More crop’ “.

Background information:-

The Government of India has been implementing Centrally Sponsored Scheme on Micro Irrigation with the objective to enhance water use efficiency in the agriculture sector by promoting appropriate technological interventions like drip & sprinkler irrigation technologies and encourage the farmers to use water saving and conservation technologies.

The Scheme was launched by the Department of Agriculture & Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture in January, 2006 as Centrally Sponsored Scheme on Micro Irrigation (CSS). In June, 2010, it was up-scaled to National Mission on Micro Irrigation (NMMI), which continued till the year 2013-14.

From 1st April, 2014, NMMI was subsumed under National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) and implemented as “On Farm Water Management” (OFWM) during the financial year 2014-15.

From 1st April 2015, Micro Irrigation component of OFWM has been subsumed under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana. Now, it is being implemented as Centrally Sponsored Scheme on Micro Irrigation from the financial year 2015-16 as per the same pattern of assistance and cost norms as were prevailing under OFWM, until revised.

Draw Back Of The Scheme:

The Micro Irrigation scheme has been implemented in Assam w.e.f 2014-15. Although there is a high demand for irrigation including Micro Irrigation in the farmers’ field, the scheme is not gaining popularity in Assam. The main reason behind this is that the scheme provides 60% Govt. assistance in the ratio of 90:10 (Central: State) and the rest 40% has to be contributed from farmers side. The farmers of Assam are mainly poor farmers and falls in the category of Small and Marginal and cannot effort to contribute famers’ share of 40%. 

Strength Of The Scheme:

The Micro Irrigation viz Drip Irrigation and Sprinkler Irrigation is slowly becoming important throughout India as it provides judicious use of available water and fertilizer and thereby increasing productivity. The following table shows the efficiency of different types of irrigation methods:-

Need of the Hour:

In Assam, main irrigation months are from October to March ie the period from Post Monsoon to Pre Monsoon. In this period crops like Rabi vegetables, Pulses, Oilseed, Early Ahu, flowers etc. are cultivated by farmers of Assam. Further, existing horticultural Orchards also suffer for lack of irrigation water during these months. So, in order to increase cropping intensity by double cropping or triple cropping farmers have to completely depend on Irrigation. Every time, farmers cannot effort conventional Irrigation methods of flow and furrow irrigation by which about 50-60% irrigated water goes wastage consuming lots of fuel/energy .This is a great loss to farmers without their knowledge which affect his overall economy. Micro Irrigation on the other hand minimizes this loss and increase the productivity thereby improves overall economy of farmers though the initial investment is higher. Further, like in many states of India, in Assam also, available water for Irrigation becoming slowly scarce due to climate change resilience. Therefore, Directorate of Horticulture & F.P., Assam, being the implementing Agency of Micro Irrigation under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), Per Drop More Crop (PDMC), consider as the priority scheme of the state and taken initiative so that more and more farmers can availed the Govt. of India’s scheme of Micro Irrigation under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojna (PMKSY) Per Drop More Crop (PDMC).