The Hindu : Karnataka News : Funds to be mobilised for irrigation projects

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 22, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

Funds to be mobilised for irrigation projects

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE, SEPT. 21. In order to mobilise funds to speed up the execution of irrigation projects, the Water Resources Department has proposed a plan to relax the rules to increase the borrowing limit of the agencies concerned.

Speaking to presspersons after addressing officials of the Minor Irrigation Department here today, the Minister for Water Resources and Transport, M. Mallikajun Kharge, said officials of Cauvery Neeravari Nigam, Karnataka Neeravari Nigam and Krishna Bhagya Jala Nigam had been instructed to prepare an estimate of the funds required to complete ongoing and new irrigation projects. A time-bound plan would be prepared to complete all irrigation projects in the next few years.

NABARD scheme

Under the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) scheme, the Minor Irrigation Department had spent Rs. 396 crores till August 2004 and completed work on 158 tanks. NABARD had released Rs. 571 crores for the rejuvenation and construction of 428 tanks over a period of six years. The officials had been instructed to speed up execution of work on 270 tanks.

Under the Eleventh Finance Commission, the State had received Rs. 53 crores for 297 works related to tank and lift irrigation projects. Till now a sum of Rs. 30.31 crores had been spent. Of the 462 lift irrigation projects in the State, 179 were not functioning. To allow farmers to utilise water resources to the maximum extent, a proposal would be placed before the Cabinet to reduce the power tariff for lift irrigation projects. Many farmers were not drawing water from the lift irrigation projects owing to the high water charges.

Karnataka Power Transmission and Corporation Limited (KPTCL) was charging commercial tariff for power consumed by lift irrigation projects while supplying subsidised power to irrigation pumpsets. To eliminate the disparity in tariffs, the department had decided to request KPTCL to charge a uniform power tariff for all irrigation projects.

Raitha Kayaka Kere

Referring to the implementation of the Raitha Kayaka Kere programme, he said that work on 178 tanks had been completed and work on nine was in progress. A sum of Rs. 21.34 crores had been spent to rejuvenate tanks in different districts.

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