Kurukshetra June 2020

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The Monthly Journal
Kurukshetra
MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Vol. 68 No. 8 Pages 52
June 2020
CHIEF EDITOR
Dhiraj Singh CONTENT
Editor
shiela chaudhary
Editorial Assistant  Water Management: Towards Sustainable Dr. Y S Shivay and 5
Purti purwar
Joint Director (Production)
Agriculture Dr. Teekam Singh
Vinod Kumar Meena
COVER DESIGN
RAJENDEr KUMAR
 Smart Agriculture Dr. Harender Raj Gautam 13
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Editorial
I
ndia has been fighting the COVID-19 pandemic firmly and decisively. The country is courageously
dealing with challenges emerging out of the pandemic while countering misinformation related to it
through Press Information Bureau’s Fact Check Twitter handle on a daily basis. In the beginning, Team
Kurukshetra would like to express its gratitude to the corona warriors and everyone who has been playing
a constructive role to support the country in this hour of need.
To strengthen the economy and India’s fight against COVID-19, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi
announced a special economic package and gave a clarion call for Aatmanirbhar Bharat. The package,
taken together with earlier announcements by the government during COVID-19 crisis and decisions
taken by Reserve Bank of India, is to the tune of Rs. 20 lakh crore, which is equivalent to almost 10 per
cent of India’s GDP. Shri Modi said that the package will provide a much-needed boost towards achieving
‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.
Now, let us talk about the theme of this issue—Irrigation and Water Conservation. Needless to say,
the time has come that people must learn how to conserve every drop of water and develop efficient
techniques of irrigation. Yes, we need to think about the proper management of water and its use in
various activities. Encouragement is key, undoubtedly, there is an urgent need to encourage people so
that they take the matters related to water conservation seriously. All available sources and programmes
should be converged to see a positive impact in the area of water conservation and its management.
Being an agrarian economy, proper water management must be promoted in irrigation activities in the
country.
India has demonstrated a big transformation in the agriculture sector in the second half of the 20th
century with the ‘Green Revolution’ but now we need to go for a ‘technology revolution’ to accelerate
the growth in the agriculture sector. Smart agriculture has all the technological inputs that can steer us
away from the problems of present-day agriculture. Smart agriculture has the potential to double the
food production in 40 years with lesser impact on climate change. It can reduce the losses and wastage
by 50 percent.
The lead article focuses on water management to achieve the goal of sustainable agriculture. It states
that water is one of the most critical resources for sustainable agricultural development worldwide.
Sustainable water management in agriculture aims to match water availability and water needs in quantity
and quality, in space and time, at reasonable cost and with acceptable environmental impact. We have
also focused in this issue on the crisis related to ground water. For this purpose, farmers need to be made
aware and trained about conservation of water.
This time, we have a special article in this issue focusing on COVID-19. India’s health system capacities
are in place to detect, isolate, test and treat every case and trace every contact to deal with this pandemic.
As emphasised by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in his recent addresses to the nation, COVID-19 will
remain a part of our lives for quite some time to come and we therefore need to learn to live with it. This
will require each one of us to continue to adhere to social distancing norms, including wearing of face
covers in public places, as well as focusing on hand hygiene. Precise public health strategies need to be
developed at the micro-level with an emphasis on limiting the spread of the infection beyond the existing
hotspots while also allowing economic activities to resume in a calibrated manner along the lines of the
broad guidelines laid out by the Centre.
This issue has an article on Yoga to enlighten our readers on how this ancient physical, mental and
spiritual practice that originated in India, can keep them mentally and physically fit during COVID-19.
We hope that our readers get to know about several key developments related to irrigation, water
conservation and COVID-19 taking place in the country through this issue of Kurukshetra.
4 Kurukshetra June 2020

Water Management: Towards Sustainable Agriculture

Dr. Y S Shivay and Dr. Teekam Singh
With the foodgrain production touching an all-time record level of 284 plus million tonnes (MT) in 2018–19, Indian agriculture
has made stupendous progress in ensuring food security to its vast population. Sustainable agriculture is a way of farming
according to the location-specific ecosystem and study of relationships between organisms and their environment. Simply
stated, sustainable agriculture is a form of agriculture aimed at meeting the needs of the present generation without
endangering the resource base of the future generations.
W
ater is one of the most critical resources
for sustainable agricultural development
worldwide. Sustainable water
management in agriculture aims to match water
availability and water needs in quantity and quality,
in space and time, at reasonable cost and with
acceptable environmental impact. Irrigated areas
will increase in the forthcoming years, while fresh
water supplies will be diverted from agriculture to
meet the increasing demand of domestic use and
industry. Furthermore, the efficiency of irrigation is
very low, since less than 40 percent of the applied
the net sown area, are further compounded with
water is actually used by the crops. The sustainable
the harsh reality that highly productive agricultural
use of irrigation water is a priority for agriculture
land is being continuously lost out to the industry
in arid and semi-arid areas. So, under scarcity of
and urban sectors. How will the country meet
water and changing climate scenario, India has a
the target of 355 mt for foodgrains, 180 mt for
very formidable and challenging task of feeding
vegetables, 182 mt for milk, 15 mt for meat, and
17.5 percent of the world’s human population
16 mt for fish by 2030, warranting an improvement
from a meagre 2.3 percent of land area which is
of 50–100 percent over the current production,
further constrained by the fact that the country has
in a situation where the natural resources base is
only 4 percent of the global water resources at its
continuously degrading and climate change with
disposal. In addition to the second largest human
its attendant impacts is adversely affecting the
population, the country also has to provide feed
agricultural production system.2 The strategies to
and fodder to 11 percent of the world’s livestock
attain this are water-intensive. Further, increased
population. Combination of high yielding varieties,
production is to be achieved through reduced
enhanced availability of water and fertilisers—the
emission of Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) and using
three key inputs in agriculture—transformed India
cleaner energy. Therefore, development strategies
from a country of begging bowl to one with over-
in agriculture need to be centred on regional water
flowing granaries.1 It has imparted stability and
availability, water budgeting and its efficient use.
resilience to the agricultural production system in
the country. With the foodgrain production touching Sustainable agriculture is a way of farming
an all-time record level of 284 plus million tonnes according to the location-specific ecosystem and
(mt) in 2018–19, Indian agriculture has made study of relationships between organisms and their
stupendous progress in ensuring food security to environment. Simply stated, sustainable agriculture
its vast population. The new emerging demands is a form of agriculture aimed at meeting the needs
of the relatively more-affluent Indian population, of the present generation without endangering
particularly its middle class, coupled with a net the resource base of the future generations. Thus,
cultivated area unlikely to exceed 143 million a holistic and systematic approach is essential
hectare (mh) in 2050 as well as an estimated for achieving sustainability. Such systems must
rainfed agriculture to cover around 45 percent of be resource-conserving, socially supportive,
Kurukshetra June 2020 5

commercially competitive and environmentally efficiency. The former is closely related to adequate
sound. Such systems aim to produce qualitative pricing, while the latter depends on the type of
and nutritious food without harming human health irrigation technology, environmental conditions
and ecosystem. Thus, such systems generally avoid and on scheduling of water application. Thus, water
the use of synthetically compounded fertilisers, management has been a key issue in realising
pesticides, growth regulators and livestock feed commendable progress in agricultural production.
additives, instead they rely upon crop rotations, crop All India Coordinated Research Project on Water
residues, animal manures, legumes, green manures, Management, Water Technology Centre, Water and
off-farm organic wastes, appropriate mechanical Land Management Institute and various central and
cultivation, and mineral bearing rocks to maintain state agricultural universities in the country have
soil fertility and productivity. There are following made remarkable progress in evolving different
ways to sustain agricultural productivity: strategies and technologies for improving sustainable
• Soil management through conservation use of available water resources for enhancing water
agriculture, organic farming, integrated nutrient and crop productivity.
management system and on-farm residue Water Resources of India
management;
Rainwater is the primary source to meet
• Efficient water resource management techniques the demand of water in Indian agriculture. India
like right method of irrigation, micro-irrigation, annually receives a rainfall of 1,085 mm. Nearly
life-saving irrigation, use of mulches etc.; three-fourths of the total rainfall received in India
• Crop management includes right time of sowing, is through south-western monsoon activity. The
cultivation of suitable crops and varieties remaining amount of rainfall comes via pre or
in rotation, inter cropping, mixed-cropping, post and north-eastern monsoon activity. Total
integrated pests management, etc. utilisable water resource in the country has been
estimated to be about 1,123 billion cubic metres
The sustainability in agriculture i.e. for crops/ (BCM) (690 BCM from surface and 433 BCM from
cropping systems primarily depends upon the ground water), which is just 28 percent of the total
availability of water in its optimum quantity and precipitation. About 80 percent of the water (688
acceptable quality. Agriculture might not sustain BCM) is being diverted for irrigation, which may
its productivity if irrigation is not sustainable and increase to 1,072 BCM by 2050. On the basis of
water supplies are not reliable. Especially in areas the available water resources, the total irrigation
of water scarcity the major need for development potential from surface and ground water resources
of irrigation is to minimise water use. Efforts are is estimated to be 139.9 mh. The major source
needed to find economic crops using minimal water, for irrigation is groundwater. Annual groundwater
to use application methods that minimise loss of recharge is about 433 BCM of which 212.5 BCM
water by evaporation from the soil or percolation is used for irrigation and 18.1 BCM for domestic
of water beyond the depth of root zone and to and industrial use. By 2025, demand for domestic
minimise losses of water from storage or delivery and industrial water usage may increase to 29.2
systems. Nowadays, during a period of dramatic BCM. Today at 68.1 mh (2013–14), India has one
changes and uncertain water resources, there is of the largest net irrigated areas in the world but
a need to provide support and encouragement to if one examines the productivity of irrigated areas
farmers to move from their traditional high-water at the national level, it is only around 3 tonnes per
demand cropping viz. rice–wheat to maize–wheat/ hectare.3 The efficiency of surface irrigation systems
pigeonpea–wheat and irrigation practices to modern, is around 30–40 percent which implies that at least
reduced demand systems and technologies. Under 60 percent of the water being supplied is being lost
scarcity conditions considerable effort has been at various stages in the system.
devoted over time to introduce policies aiming to
increase water efficiency based on the assertion that
Efficient Water Management Practices
more can be achieved with less water through better Efficient and sustainable water management
management. Better management usually refers to practices in agriculture aims to match water
improvement of allocative and/or irrigation water availability and water needs in quantity and quality,

in space and time, at reasonable cost and with 2. Irrigation Scheduling

acceptable environmental impact. Under water
Irrigation scheduling is the decision-making
demand management most attention has been
process for determining when to irrigate the crops
given to irrigation scheduling (when to irrigate and
and how much water to apply. The goal of an effective
how much water to apply) giving minor role to
irrigation scheduling programme is to supply the
irrigation methods (how to apply the water in the
plants with sufficient water while minimising loss to
field). Many parameters like crop growth stage and
deep percolation or runoff. It forms the sole means for
its sensitivity to water stress, climatic conditions
optimising agricultural production and for conserving
and water availability in the soil determine when
water and it is the key to improving performance and
to irrigate or the so-called irrigation frequency.
sustainability of the irrigation systems. It requires
However, this frequency depends upon the
good knowledge of the crops’ water requirements
irrigation method and therefore, both irrigation
scheduling and the irrigation method are inter- and of the soil water characteristics that determine
related. The National Agricultural Research when to irrigate, while the adequacy of the irrigation
System (NARS) through its vast network of State method determines the accuracy of how much
Agricultural Universities (SAUs), Indian Council of water to apply. In most cases, the skill of the farmer
Agricultural Research (ICAR) institutions and All determines the effectiveness of the irrigation
India Coordinated Research Projects (AICRPs) have scheduling at field level. With appropriate irrigation
developed a plethora of technologies and practices scheduling deep percolation and transportation of
focusing on enhancing water use efficiency at all fertilisers and agro-chemicals out of the root-zone
levels, which are described below: is controlled, water-logging is avoided, less water is
used (saving water and energy), optimum soil water
1. Laser Land Levelling conditions are created for plant growth, higher
yields and better quality are obtained and rising
Proper land levelling is one of the management
options which is generally ignored by most farmers. of saline water table is avoided. In water-scarce
It increases the water application efficiency which regions, irrigation scheduling is more important than
leads to higher yields as well as rise in water use in conditions of abundant water, since any excess in
efficiency (Table 1). It also has a direct impact on the water use is a potential cause for deficit for other
nutrient use efficiency. users or uses.
Table 1. Increment in crop productivity and water Irrigation scheduling techniques and tools vary
saving through Laser Land Levelling greatly and has different characteristics related
to their applicability and effectiveness. Timing
Crop Grain yield (t/ha) Water saving and depth criteria for irrigation scheduling can be
over without established by using several approaches based on soil
Laser Without laser levelled
levelled laser water measurements, soil water balance estimates
field (%) and plant stress indicators, climatic parameters, in
field levelling field
combination with simple rules or very sophisticated
Paddy 6.79 6.50 38
models.
Wheat 4.75 4.55 20
3. Methods of Irrigation
Sugarcane 112.00 98.75 24
Once the water requirement of crops is
Summer 0.55 0.38 20 quantitatively and temporally determined then
mungbean
methods of irrigation make water available to crop
Potato 10.00 9.00 25 plants. Water use efficiency mainly depends on the
Onion 10.00 9.00 20 way water is applied in the field. Efficient irrigation
method is always aimed at reducing the various
Sunflower 2.25 2.00 20
losses of water during application. It is very important
(Source: Singh, A.K. 2014. Sustainable Management of to employ the correct method of water application
Water Resources: Issues and Strategies. (In) Efficient Water to minimise the adverse effects of irrigation. The
Management for Sustainable Agriculture (Rattan, R.K. and
Biswas, D.R., Eds.). Bulletin of the Indian Society of Soil selection of the right method of irrigation is influenced
Science 29, pp 1–26.) by soil type, land topography, crops to be grown,

quality and quantity of water available for irrigation extraction of groundwater for irrigation
and other site-specific variations. Various irrigation and high variability in rainfall due to climate
methods are described below which are commonly change. Micro-irrigation in India is popularised
used in different crops and cropping systems under with a subsidy component, by both the central
specific situations: and state governments. As on 2017, the area
3.1 Check Basin and Border Strip Irrigation: covered under micro-irrigation is about 8.7
Surface irrigation involves the application of MH, accounting for only about 13 percent
water by gravity flow to the surface of the of the potential area. Maharashtra, Andhra
field. Over the years many surface methods Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Gujarat
of irrigation have been developed. Among together account for about 85 percent of total
them, the check basin method of irrigation is drip-irrigated area.4 In case of the sprinkler
the most popular. Check basin is the easiest system, Rajasthan and Haryana top the
and least costly method, but is usually highly list. Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana
lag far behind compared to their potential.
inefficient only less than 20 percent of the
However, groundwater development in these
water is taken up by the plant. Unfortunately,
states is more than 100 percent. In 2006,
this is also the most widely used method
the Government of India (GOI) started a
among Indian farmers in different crops and
Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) for micro-
cropping systems. Farmers also go for surface
irrigation. In 2010, CSS was enhanced in scope
flooding which is also an inefficient manner of
and renamed as National Mission on Micro
using this precious natural resource.
Irrigation (NMMI), which was subsequently
3.2. Furrow Irrigation: The furrow method of brought under the ambit of the National
irrigation is generally used to irrigate row crops Mission on Sustainable Agriculture. In 2015,
and vegetables, and is suited to soils in which NMMI was brought as a scheme under the
the infiltration rates are between 0.5 and 2.5 Prime Minister’s Krishi Sinchayee Yojana
cm/hr. It is ideal for slopes varying from 0.2 (PMKSY). The scheme envisages providing
to 0.5 percent and a stream size of 1–2 litre/ end-to-end solution to irrigation supply
second. Many of the field crops in which water chain. Micro-irrigation helps in attaining
is applied through flooding, check basin or greater water-use efficiency, thereby reducing
border strip methods, can easily be adapted the pressure on groundwater sources with
for furrow irrigation or its modified version reduced GHG emissions. Micro-irrigation has
i.e. raised bed system and 20–30 percent the potential to function both as demand- and
savings in irrigation water can be achieved by supply-side management tool. However, only
switching over to raised bed furrow irrigation about 15 percent of potential areas could be
systems. brought under micro-irrigation, warranting
3.3. Surge Flow Irrigation: Excessive water intake a course correction.5 Micro-irrigation should
and deep percolation losses are major be popularised in more water scare and
limitations for irrigation through furrows unsustainable water extraction regions
and border strips. Surge flow irrigation, the to sustain the productivity and water use
intermittent application of water in a series of efficiency. Micro-irrigation mainly includes
on and off modes of constant or variable time drip irrigation and sprinkler system water
spans has the potential of reducing intake and application.
percolation losses, increasing the irrigation 3.4.1. Sprinkler Irrigation: Sprinkler irrigation systems
efficiencies and conserving irrigation water. imitate natural rainfall. Water is pumped through
3.4. Micro-irrigation: Micro-irrigation is one of the pipes and then sprayed onto the crops through
most efficient methods of irrigation which not rotating sprinkler heads. These systems are
only enhanced water use efficiency but also more efficient than surface irrigation, however,
increased crop productivity. Promotion of they are more costly to install and operate
micro-irrigation is critical to enhance water- because of the need for pressurised water.
use efficiency in the context of rampant Conventional sprinkler systems spray the water

into the air, losing considerable amounts to Water logging and salinity are also completely
evaporation. Low Energy Precision Application absent under drip method of irrigation. It
(LEPA) offers a more efficient alternative. In this also helps in attaining early maturity of crops,
system the water is delivered to the crops from higher quality produce, increased crop yields
drop tubes that extend from the sprinkler’s and higher fertiliser-use efficiency, reduction
arm. When applied together with appropriate in weed growth, less labour requirement
water-saving farming techniques, LEPA can and less electric power consumption, cost of
achieve efficiencies as high as 95 percent. Since cultivation especially in inputs like fertilisers,
this method operates at low pressure, it also labour, tilling and weeding.
saves as much as 20 to 50 percent in energy
3.4.3. Fertigation: The application of fertilisers
costs compared with conventional systems.
through the irrigation system (fertigation)
3.4.2. Drip Irrigation: Drip method of irrigation gives became a common practice in modern irrigated
many advantages over the gravity surface agriculture. Localised irrigation systems,
irrigation methods in terms of water savings which could be highly efficient for water
and yields (Table 2). Drip and micro-sprinkler application, are also suitable for fertigation.
irrigation systems, which apply water slowly Thus, the soluble fertilisers at concentrations
on or below the soil surface as discrete or required by crops are applied through the
continuous drips, tiny streams, or miniature irrigation system to the wetted volume of the
spray through emitters or applicators placed soil. Possible disadvantages include the non-
along a water delivery line adjacent to the plant uniform chemical distribution when irrigation
row, is often preferred over other irrigation design or operation are inadequate, the over-
methods because of its high (90 percent) water fertilisation in case that irrigation is not based
application efficiency6 and have been proved on actual crop requirements and the excessive
as one of the best ways to increase water
use of soluble fertilisers.
productivity. Evidences show that the water-
use efficiency increases up to 100 percent in a 3.4.4. Subsurface Drip Irrigation: Subsurface Drip
properly designed and managed drip irrigation Irrigation (SDI) is a low-pressure, low volume
system. Drip method of irrigation helps to irrigation system that uses buried tubes to
reduce the over-exploitation of groundwater apply water. The applied water moves out
that partly occurs because of inefficient use of the tubes by soil matrix suction. Wetting
of water under surface method of irrigation. occurs around the tube and water moves
Table 2: Relative Performance of Drip and Traditional Surface Irrigation on Yields, Irrigation Water Use
and also Water Use Efficiency of Some Important Crops, Vegetables and Fruits
Crop Yields (kg/ha) Irrigation water (cm) WUE (kg/ha–cm)
Surface Drip Surface Drip Surface Drip
Vegetables (16) 1722 2383 64.1 35.3 398 884
(Av. of 34 cases) (38.4%) (45%) (122%)
Fruits (7 types) 1611 2851 83.3 57.8 262 750
(Av. of 16 cases) (77%) (31%) (186%)
Cotton 238 313 85.7 41.1 28 81
(Av. of 3 cases) (31.5%) (51.8%) (189)
Ground nut 354 940 74.6 51.4 54 178
(Av. of 4 cases) (165.5%) (31%) (230%)
Sugarcane 10770 13900 165.1 109.9 716 1306
(Av. of 7 cases) (29.1%) (33%) (82%)
All Crops 2938 4072 94.56 59.1 292 639
(Av. of 64 cases) (38.6%) (37%) (119%)
(Source: Singh, A.K. 2014. Sustainable Management of Water Resources: Issues and Strategies. (In) Efficient Water Management
for Sustainable Agriculture (Rattan, R.K. and Biswas, D.R., Eds.). Bulletin of the Indian Society of Soil Science 29, pp 1–26.)

out in the soil all directions. The potential

advantages of SDI are: a) water conservation,
b) enhanced fertiliser efficiency, c) uniform
and highly efficient water application,
d) elimination of surface infiltration problems
and evaporation losses, e) flexibility in
providing frequent and light irrigations,
f) Reduced problems of disease and weeds,
g) lower pressure required for operation.
Subsurface irrigation is suitable for almost
all crops, especially for high value fruit and
vegetables, turfs and landscapes. The tube requirements to cope with salinity and the
is installed below the soil surface either by optimization approach leads to economic
digging the ditches or by special device pulled viability. The adoption of deficit irrigation
by a tractor. The depth of installation depends implies appropriate knowledge of crop
upon soil characteristics and crop species evapotranspiration, of crop response to water
ranging from 15–20 cms for vegetables and deficits including the identification of critical
field crops and 30–50 cms for tree crops. The crop growth stages, and of the economic
main disadvantages are the high cost of initial impact of yield reduction strategies.
installation and the increased possibility for 3.5.2. Partial Root Drying: Partial Root Drying (PRD)
clogging, especially when poor quality water is a new irrigation technique, first applied to
is used. grapevines that subject one half of the root
3.5. Deficit Irrigation Practices: In arid and semi- system to dry or drying conditions while
arid regions, water availability is usually limited, the other half is irrigated. Wetted and dried
and certainly not enough to achieve total crop sides of the root system alternate on a 7–14
water requirement and the maximum yields. day cycle. PRD uses biochemical responses
Then, irrigation strategies should not be based of plants to water stress to achieve balance
on full crop water requirements but should be between vegetative and reproductive
adopted for more effective and rational use of growth. The PRD has been successfully
water based on the critical or sensitive growth applied with drip irrigation in grapevines,
stages to water deficit. Thus, at non-sensitive with subsurface irrigation in grapevines and
growth stages irrigation is withheld which is even furrow irrigation in pear, citrus and
called as deficit irrigation. grapevines. Improvement of WUE results
from partial stomatal closure and reducing
3.5.1. Regulated Deficit Irrigation: Regulated Deficit
evapotranspiration during drying period.
Irrigation (RDI) is an optimising strategy under
which crops are allowed to sustain some 4. Agronomic Practices
degree of water deficit and yield reduction. Agronomic practices, such as soil management,
During RDI the crop is exposed to certain fertiliser application, and disease and pest control
level of water stress either during a particular are related to sustainable water management in
period or throughout the growing season. agriculture and the protection of the environment.
The main objective of RDI is to increase These practices are very important for increasing
Water Use Efficiency (WUE) of the crop by crop productivity as well as WUE. There are large
eliminating irrigations that have little impact number of traditional and modern soil and crop
on yield and to improve control of vegetative management practices for water conservation
growth (improve fruit size and quality). RDI is (runoff control, improvement of soil infiltration rate,
a sustainable way to cope with water scarcity increase soil water capacity, control of soil water
since the allowed water deficits favour water evaporation) and erosion control in agriculture which
saving, control of percolation and runoff return increase WUE. Some of the important agronomic
flows and the reduction of losses of fertilisers practices, which increase the water use efficiency,
and agrochemicals. It provides for leaching are discussed below:

Contour Tillage: Soil cultivation is made along Integrated Pests Management (IPM): IPM
the land slope and the soil is left with small furrows techniques aim to increase crop productivity with the
and ridges that prevent runoff. This technique is also same amount of other inputs like water, fertilisers
effective to control erosion and may be applied to etc. Pests cause severe losses to the different crops
row crops and small grains provided that field slopes and cropping systems. However, timely control of
are low. This is one of the techniques to increase the severe pests and diseases of different crops will
better use of the rain water, especially in rainfed not only increase the productivity and profitability
areas. to the farmers but also improve water use efficiency
Broad Bed Planting: Cultivation of crop on and water productivity.
broad beds and irrigation is applied in furrows. This Conclusion
method helps to save 30–40 percent water and
typically suitable for close planted field crops and Share of water to agriculture is going to decline
horticultural row crops. in the future due to the stiff competition from the
industrial and domestic sectors and compounded
Conservation Tillage (CT): CT includes zero further by global warming and associated adverse
tillage and retention of crop residuals on the soil impact of climate change. Since, water is a critical
surface at planting. Crop residues acts as mulches input for agriculture, therefore, adoption and
and reduce evaporation losses and protect the soil upscaling of new technologies of efficient water
from direct impact of raindrops, thus controlling management especially micro-irrigation as quickly
crusting and sealing processes. CT helps to maintain as possible in the only viable solution to sustain
high levels of organic matter in the soil thus it is highly agricultural productivity.
effective in improving soil infiltration and controlling
erosion which results in increase of WUE. Footnotes
Mulch: Mulching with crop residues on soil 1 Singh, A.K. 2013. Water management: Issues
surface shades the soil, slows water overland flow, and strategies. (In) Fertiliser Sector at the Cross-
improves infiltration conditions, reduces evaporation roads, FAI Annual Seminar Papers. New Delhi,
losses and also contributes to control of weeds and pp. SII–3/1–15.
therefore of non-beneficial water use. 2 ICAR. 2011. Indian Council of Agricultural Re-
Addition of Organic Manures: Increasing or search. Vision 2030, Ministry of Agriculture and
maintaining the amount of organic matter in the Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India.
upper soil layers provides for better soil aggregation, 3 GOI. 2017. Government of India, Agricultural
reduced crusting or sealing on soil surface and Statistics at a Glance, Directorate of Economics
increased water retention capacity of the soil. and Statistics, Ministry of Agriculture and
Farmers’ Welfare.
Addition of Clay or Hydrophilic Compound: This
technique increases the water retention capacity of 4 Ibid.
the soil and controls deep percolation. Thus, water 5 Suresh, A. and Samuel, M.P. 2020. Micro-irri-
availability in soils with low water holding capacity gation development in India: challenges and
is increased. strategies. Current Science 118 (8): 1163–1168.
Control of Acidity: Lime application to soils 6 Rajput, J.B.S. and Patel, N. 2006. Water and ni-
with high pH favours more intensive and deep trate movement in drip irrigated onion under
rooting, better crop development and contributes fertigation and irrigation treatments. Agricul-
to improved soil aggregation, thus producing some tural Water Management 79(3): 293-311.
increase in soil water availability. (Dr. Y.S. Shivay is a Principal Scientist, at Division
Weed Control Measure: Adoption of appropriate of Agronomy, ICAR–Indian Agricultural Research
weed control techniques to alleviate competition Institute, New Delhi. Email: ysshivay@hotmail.com.
for water and transpiration losses by weeds is very Dr. Teekam Singh is a Senior Scientist, at Division
important agronomic practice to increase water use of Agronomy, ICAR–Indian Agricultural Research
efficiency in different crops and cropping systems. Institute, New Delhi. Email: tiku_agron@yahoo.co.in)

New Mandis Integrated with eNAM

38 additional mandis were integrated
with the eNAM platform, thus
achieving milestone of integration
of 415 mandis as per the planned
target. 38 Mandis integrated are in
Madhya Pradesh (19), Telangana (10),
Maharashtra (4) and One (1) each
from Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, Kerala
& J&K. In a press release on May 15,
2020, the Ministry of Agriculture &
Farmers Welfare said, with the overall
success of 585 mandis in Phase 1
and further expanding its wings to
integrate 415 new mandis in Phase 2, The Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Rural Development
the e-NAM platform now has a total and Panchayati Raj, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar at a function in New Delhi
recently. The Ministers of State for Agriculture & Family Welfare, Shri
number of 1000 mandis across 18 Parshottam Rupala and Shri Kailash Choudhary, the Secretary (AC&FW), Shri
States and 3 UTs. Sanjay Agarwal and senior officers are also seen.
National Agriculture Market (eNAM), a pan-India electronic trading portal was launched on 14th April
2016, by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, with the aim of networking the existing Mandis on a
common online market platform as “One Nation One Market” for agricultural commodities in India.
In last 4 years the e-NAM has registered a user base of 1.66 Cr Farmers, 1.31 lakh Traders, 73,151
Commission Agents and 1012 FPOs. As on 14th May 2020, total volume of 3.43 Crore MT & 38.16 Lakh
numbers (Bamboo & Coconut) collectively crossed a remarkable business milestone worth Rs. 1 lakh crore
on e-NAM platform. Presently 150 commodities, including Foodgrains, Oilseeds, Fibers, Fruits & Vegetables,
are traded on eNAM.
To address the difficulties faced by the farmers due to the COVID-19 lockdown crisis, the Union
Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, on 2nd April 2020 launched 3 new
modules of eNAM.
1. FPO Module on eNAM: This enables FPOs to conduct trade of commodities from their collection
centres declared as “Deemed Market” or “Sub Market yards”. As on 14th May 2020, 1012 FPOs are
registered on e-NAM platform, and have traded 3053 MT of agri-produce worth Rs 8.11 Crore. Among
these, 42 FPOs traded from their own collection center through recently introduced FPO module.
2. Warehouse based Electronic Negotiable Warehouse Receipts (eNWR) trading: For eNWR based
trading, WDRA accredited warehouses from Andhra Pradesh (23) and Telangana (14) have been
declared as deemed market by respective State Governments. Rajasthan Government has recently
declared 138 State Government & cooperative warehouses as sub market yards. Madhya Pradesh,
Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Punjab have initiated amendments in their respective acts to facilitate
warehouse based trade.
3. Logistics Module: This facilitates transportation of the commodities from farm to Mandis and from
Mandis to warehouse/consumption centres. Nine logistic service providers/aggregators linked with 2.3
lakh transporters and 11.37 lakh vehicles have been on-boarded on eNAM platform.
On 1st May 2020, Inter-Operability between ReMS (Unified Market Portal-UMP) and e-NAM portal
was launched. In this new module farmers and traders across ReMS (UMP) of Karnataka and e-NAM
platform can conduct inter-platform trade to access more markets for trade using inter-operability features
and vice-versa.
(Source: Press Information Bureau)

Smart Agriculture
Dr. Harender Raj Gautam
India has demonstrated a big transformation in the agriculture sector in the second half of the 20th century with the ‘Green
Revolution’ but now we need to go for a ‘technology revolution’ to accelerate the growth in the agriculture sector. Smart
agriculture has all the technological inputs that can steer us away from the problems of present-day agriculture. Smart
agriculture has the potential to double the food production in 40 years with lesser impact on climate change. Further, it can
reduce the losses and wastage by 50 percent.
I
mproving water-use efficiency
or enhancing agricultural water
productivity is a critical response
to growing water scarcity. The
importance further intensifies if one
needs to realise the full benefits
of other production inputs, viz.,
fertilisers, high-quality seeds, tillage
and land formation, labour, energy
and machinery. According to the
Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO), globally irrigated agriculture
represents 20 percent of the total
cultivated land, but contributes only
40 percent of the total food produced
worldwide. 1 Water is a critical
resource in agriculture and higher and three tonnes of water to grow one kg of cereal.
variations in usage can have adverse consequences It is estimated that irrigation requirement has to
on crop yields and soil health. Presently, irrigation be lowered to the level of 68 percent of the total
water-use accounts for 80 percent of the available demand by 2050.4
water.2 The FAO estimates that over the last India has demonstrated a big transformation
century the global water withdrawal grew 1.7 in the agriculture sector in the second half of the
times faster than the population, which aggravates 20th century with the advent of ‘Green Revolution’
the concern over the sustainability of water use but now we need to go for a ‘technology revolution’
as the demand for agricultural, industrial and to accelerate the growth in the agriculture sector.
domestic uses continues to increase.3 Improving Technology innovation in agriculture has always
agricultural productivity, while conserving and paid dividends. In the last few decades, focus of
enhancing natural resources, such as water, is Indian agriculture has been to change the traditional
an essential requirement for farmers to increase irrigation system with the efficient micro-irrigation
global food supplies on a sustainable basis. The by incentivising the farmers in the installation costs.
role of smallholder farmers and their families The Economic Survey 2018–19 suggests that “focus
in increasing agricultural productivity growth should shift from ‘land productivity’ to ‘irrigation
sustainably will be crucial because most of the water productivity’”. The document emphasizes
world’s agriculture is carried out by millions of that thrust should be on micro-irrigation that can
small farmers who produce a large share of the improve water use efficiency because the impact
world’s food and support their households. We is visible in the field. Impact Evaluation Study of
have to realise the importance of judicious use of National Mission on Micro Irrigation (NMMI)
water by remembering that it takes between one conducted during 2014, covering 64 districts in 13

states, indicate that micro-irrigation has benefited Internet of Things (IoT): IoT is described as a
farmers significantly. While the electricity network of physical objects. These can be “things”
consumption has been reduced by about 31 that can be embedded with technologies, software
percent, the irrigation cost has also decreased by or sensors which further helps in connecting or the
an average of 32.3 percent. Furthermore, there exchange of data with other devices or systems
was about a 28 percent reduction in total fertiliser via the internet or vice versa. In 2016, more than
consumption in the surveyed states. Micro- 5.5 million new “things” got connected every day,
irrigation has enhanced average productivity of thus, creating the huge scope for Internet of Things.
fruits and vegetables by about 42.3 percent and There are over 8.3 billion IoT devices connected
52.8 percent, respectively mainly because of crop today.
spacing, judicious use of water and other inputs. All
the surveyed states reported increase in farmers’ Artiﬁcial Intelligence (AI): It is the science of
income in the range of 20 percent to 68 percent instilling intelligence in machines so that they are
with an average increase of 48.5 percent. capable of doing tasks that traditionally required
the human mind. The term AI is commonly used
Now, there is a need to adopt the next version
when a machine mimics cognitive functions such
of technology innovations. Smart agriculture has
as planning, learning, reasoning, problem solving,
all the technological inputs which can steer us
knowledge representation, perception, motion,
away from the problems of present-day agriculture
manipulation, social intelligence, and creativity.
including the irrigation water constraints. Smart
AI combines automation, robotics, and computer
agriculture has been continuously evolving in the
last few decades. It is the all-new agricultural vision. Advances in statistics, faster computers, and
production mode and ecosystem which is based on access to large amounts of data have augmented
digital agriculture and precision agriculture. Digital the advances in AI, particularly in the field of
agriculture digitises the planning, process and Machine Learning where significant progress has
result of agricultural production, such as Big Data, been made in the areas of image and pattern
AI, Cloud Computing and Blockchain. Precision recognition, natural language understanding, and
agriculture uses information technology to achieve robotics. Integration of AI and IoT devices further
precision management, such as drone, robot and improves the growing and selling processes via
intelligent irrigation. The recent developments, predictive analytics. These programmes will help
such as Cloud Computing, Internet of Things, Big farmers determine which crops to grow and
Data, Blockchain, Robotics and Artificial Intelligence anticipate potential threats by combining historical
have taken the management of agricultural information about weather patterns and crop
operations to a much higher level of technology. performance with real-time data.
Smart agriculture allowed for the integration of
Blockchain: It is a recent technological
so far isolated lines of development into smart,
advancement with potential for addressing
connected systems of systems. Integration of
the challenge of creating a more transparent,
these technologies will help the agriculture to
authentic, and trustworthy digital record of the
evolve in a data-driven, intelligent, agile and
autonomously connected system of systems. The journey that food and other physical products
operations of each agricultural process will be take across the supply chain. Blockchain works by
automatically integrated in the food chain through mapping data and providing it to users along the
the semantically active technologies up till the end value chain simply by scanning a barcode. These
consumer. barcodes are applied and linked throughout the
value chain automatically by grading and sorting
Transformative Discoveries for Smart robotics. This information not only provides the
Agriculture consumer with transparency, but also reduces risks
There is a basket of technologies and for producers at the same time making available
innovations that are enable production technology a cost-effective supply chain analysis to optimise
of smart agriculture. The concept, science and profits. When blockchain is integrated with IoT, it
applications of such innovations are described creates an immutable supply chain, ensuring that
below: buyers are getting an authentic product that has not

been damaged along the way. These technologies agri-inputs, monitoring soil moisture, tracking prices
can also verify whether a product that contains of market, controlling irrigations, finding the right
hazardous materials has been disposed of correctly selling point and getting the right price.
and safely.
Focus on Higher Water-use Efficiency
Robotics: Powered with advanced AI technology,
Since the advent of Green Revolution,
robots will soon play a defining role in agriculture.
irrigation has been the main intervention to assure
Advanced computer vision is also transforming the
the reliability and productivity of cropping in India
way drones operate. Drones with AI-enabled vision and has played a significant role in national food
processing capabilities are being used to assess the security. The area equipped for irrigation has grown
real situation on the condition of crops on ground. enormously over the past five decades in India.
Autonomous drones and the data they provide According to the data from NASA’s Gravity Recovery
can help in crop monitoring, soil assessment, plant and Climate Experiment, Northwest India had the
emergence and population, fertility, crop protection, highest groundwater depletion rates in the world
crop insurance reporting in real time, irrigation and in 2002–2008, even though precipitation was above
drainage planning and harvest planning. normal for the period. Northwest India’s collective
water deficit totals an estimated 100 x 109 m3 per
Autonomous Swarms: Autonomous swarms
year. There are perhaps 20 million groundwater
combine the technology of swarm robotics with
irrigators and in excess of 14 million tube wells in
a blockchain-based backend. Swarm robotics
India. In irrigation systems, efficiency is typically
involves multiple copies of the same robot, working
defined as the amount of water used by the plant
independently in parallel to achieve a goal too large
divided by the total amount of water applied to the
for any one robot to accomplish. By leveraging the field. Another common term used with irrigation
benefits of both swarm robotics and Blockchain, is “crop per drop,” the idea of growing more food
pesticide and fertilizer can be applied more sparingly with the same amount of water or less, generally
and planting and harvesting can be done with increasing the productivity of water. Of the three
individual attention to each plant, an impossible major irrigation systems, in general, gravity irrigation
task with large-scale machinery. The new approach systems are considered the least efficient, sprinkler
produces greater yields at reduced cost, while systems more efficient, and micro-irrigation as the
raising the quality of the crop. most efficient. Using the pressure terminology,
Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT): unpressurized systems are generally less efficient
than pressurized systems.
Individually, the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial
Intelligence (AI) are powerful technologies. AIoT The country records only 38 percent water-
is a combination of AI and IoT. AI can complete use efficiency in the field of agriculture and much
a set of tasks or learn from data in a way that needs to be done to improve it. Conventional
seems intelligent. Devices empowered with the surface irrigation provides 60–70 percent efficiency,
combination of AI and IoT can analyse data and make whereas, higher efficiency of up to 70–80 percent
decisions and act on that data without involvement with sprinkler and 90 percent with drip irrigation
by humans. systems can be achieved. Implementation of smart
irrigation by looking into the evapotranspiration
Big Data: It is a combination of technology and parameter of plants to optimise the irrigation cycle
analytics that can collect and compile novel data is well in play. The use of soil moisture content
and process it in a more useful and timely way to and temperature sensors are widely prevalent
assist decision making. Data mining is the computing in scheduling irrigation. Drones equipped with
process of discovering patterns in large data sets hyperspectral, multispectral, or thermal sensors
involving methods at the intersection of artificial are able to identify areas that require changes in
intelligence, machine learning statistics and database irrigation. Once crops have started growing, these
system. Big Data and analytics have the potential to sensors are able to calculate their vegetation index
add value across each step and can streamline food and indicator of health through AI, by measuring
processing value chains such as selection of right the crop’s heat signature.

Analog irrigation systems have been used in health. According to the Alliance for Water Efficiency,
commercial agriculture for some time and they most smart irrigation technologies fall under two
operate on pre-programmed schedules and timers. classifications:
As we do not take in to account the data on daily
1. Sensor-based Control: This method leverages
weather conditions, this often leaves farmers
real-time measurements from locally installed
unprepared for sudden weather changes and can
sensors to automatically adjust irrigation timing
lead to significant overwatering and waste. Smart
to the exact temperature, rainfall, humidity and
irrigation systems are more inclusive to such risks
soil moisture present in a given environment.
and are equipped with self-governing capabilities
This data is also supplemented with historic
that result in more precise watering schedules
weather information to ensure farmers are able
that reflect the actual conditions of the grow site.
to anticipate unfavourable conditions.
Smart irrigation comprises specialised hardware
devices, software and services used to obtain real- 2. Signal-based Control: Unlike sensor-based
time data to help farmers make effective decisions controls, these smart irrigation systems rely
pertaining to their farms. The combination of IoT on weather updates transmitted by radio,
and AI technologies, such as Machine Learning, telephone or web-based applications. These
computer vision and predictive analytics, further signals are typically sent from local weather
allow farmers to analyse real-time data of weather stations to update the “evapotranspiration
conditions, temperature, soil moisture and plant rate” of the irrigation controller.
An Italian startup, Blue Tentacles, has come up with a “precision-based” AI system that takes note
of humidity, temperature, climate data and forecasts as well as satellite data to help farmers improve
their irrigation practices whilst preventing water wastage and conserving energy. This is particularly
useful to inexperienced farmers who might need help to improve productivity while reducing water
consumption. These digital technologies are already being used by a number of large scale companies.
An, agri start-up, Conser Water tracks how water is distributed in a field using satellite and historical
data. This allows users to fine tune their irrigation supply and also identify any leaks in the irrigation
pipes. Their AI system can learn to identify damaged areas in a pipe without the need for manual
inspection. It is a scalable solution working without ground sensors, and farmers would only need a
desktop or a smartphone to access the data and receive notifications.
According to one IoT solutions provider, connected sensors could reduce water consumption by 30
percent while improving land management decisions. The company’s technology measures moisture
in the soil. Then, it provides data to help farmers take action against drought or over watering. In
Southern California, farmers place sensors around avocado trees to measure the water levels. The
sensors connect to sprinkler systems that treat the thirsty trees as required. At night, the water shuts
off at the right times to avoid waste. This setup automates significant parts of the process, allowing
farmers to stop engaging in numerous manual tasks. Products based on such technologies are available
in the market. In India, Microsoft collaborated with ICRISAT (International Crops Research Institute
for Semi Arid Tropics) developing a predictive analytics app that calculated the best crop sowing date
for maximising the yield. As a test case, farmers across seven villages were sent text messages with
dates for sowing and other advice. Despite meagre rainfall, farmers that used the app boosted their
yields by 30 percent. When other farmers witnessed the results, they were also more likely to use the
app themselves. In Andhra Pradesh, Vijay Bhaskar Reddy, a software engineer, has developed an IoT-
based autonomous irrigation solution, Mobile Motor Controller Device- Kisan Raja which helps farmers
monitor, control and utilise water judiciously. This device has helped more than 34,200 farmers across
ten states namely Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Punjab,
Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal. According to research company Markets and Markets,
the smart irrigation market was valued at USD 0.83 billion in 2018 and is expected to reach USD 1.76
billion by 2023, at a CAGR of 16.30 percent.

Need for Water Accounting approaches to improve production, productivity

and quality in major crops. NITI Aayog came up with
Water accounting includes sophisticated
a National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence in India,
approaches to demand forecasting on the basis of
which is aimed at focusing on economic growth and
demographic change, urbanisation, industrialisation
social inclusion. The Government signed an MOU
and energy production. Water accounting is an
with IBM to use AI to secure the farming capabilities
essential underpinning to transparent and effective
of Indian farmers. The pilot study will be conducted
water allocation systems. Such systems have been
in states like Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and
developed in some countries (e.g. Australia, China,
Maharashtra. After the pilot study, IBM’s Watson
France, Iran, and the US) with varying levels of
decision platform will provide a farm-level solution
sophistication and effectiveness. In China, water
for improving the agriculture sector. It will provide
is allocated to different sectors (e.g. agriculture,
weather forecast and soil moisture information to
urban and rural domestic, sanitation, industry,
farmers to take pre-informed decisions regarding
environment) within a limit on total water use at the
better management of water, soil and crop. This
national level and in each major river basin. Water
initiative was aimed at improving the future of
accounts are created to assess the volume of water
resources available at basin and subsidiary levels, farming by harnessing multiple data points and
to incorporate long-term inter annual variability combine predictive analytics, AI, satellite data, and
in rainfall and weather, and to estimate water IoT sensors to give farmers insights on ploughing,
availability. Available water includes water stored choosing crops, spraying pesticides, and harvesting.
in dams/reservoirs and underground. The accounts In a bid to push innovative technologies in
are updated through the year and reassessed agriculture sector, the government has also launched
at the beginning of each “water year”. Water AGRI-UDAAN to mentor 40 agricultural start-ups
accounts are typically constructed on the basis of from cities like Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Pune,
catchment-scale hydrologic modelling, required Bengaluru, Kolkata and Hyderabad, and enable them
data on rainfall, evaporation and transpiration and to connect with potential investors.5Maha Agri Tech
stream flow over the entire landscape. In China, Project in Maharashtra is another such project which
remote sensing is being used to quantify the seeks to use innovative technologies to address
evapotranspiration from all vegetative covers in various risks related to cultivation such as poor rains,
a basin, allowing better calibration of hydrologic pest attacks, etc., and to accurately predict crop
models and also monitoring of actual water use yielding. The project will also use this data to inform
in irrigated areas. Water accounting alone is not farmers about several policy requirements including
sufficient to drive the required shifts in water use as pricing, warehousing and crop insurance. The first
scarcity worsens. Accounting must be accompanied phase of the project uses satellite images and the
by regular assessments of governance, institutions, data analysis done by Maharashtra Remote Sensing
public and private expenditure, legislation and the Application Centre (MRSAC) and the National Remote
wider political economy of water. Malaysia is a Sensing Centre (NRSC) to assess the area of land,
good example of a country in the region which has and the conditions of select crops in select talukas.
invested in improving national water accounting However, the second phase includes an analysis of
and auditing processes. Although Malaysia has the data collected to build a seamless framework
abundant water resources, it experiences seasonal for agriculture modelling and a geospatial database
water stress. It already has established a National of soil nutrients, rainfall, and moisture stress to
Water Balance System that has been implemented facilitate location-specific advisories to farmers.
using hydrological and other computer models in
the granary regions of the country. Smart agriculture has the potential to
double the food production with lesser impact on
Initiatives of Smart Agriculture climate change. Further, it can reduce the losses
Agriculture industry is a matter of concern for the and wastage. It is estimated that the IoT has the
government as lot of factors such as climate change, potential to increase agricultural productivity by
population growth and food security concerns 70 percent by 2050.6 There is a need to develop
have driven the sector to seek more innovative an infrastructure in our agricultural institutions to

have scientific understanding for such technologies Footnotes

so that the farmers can be trained to use of such 1 http://www.fao.org/water/en/
technologies and equipments in the field. There is 2 Ministry of Water Resources Central Water Com-
a need for convergence of available institutional mission. 2014. ‘Measures for Improving the Water
resources in the country. We have best technology Use Efficiency’, Guidelines for Improving Water Use
institutions of the world like Indian Institutes of Efficiency in Irrigation, Domestic & Industrial Sec-
Technology, National Institutes of Technology, tors. pp. 4.
Indian Institute of Science, etc. Our immediate 3 http://www.fao.org/aquastat/en/overview/meth-
need is to rope in these institutions with our odology/water-use
top agricultural intuitions like Indian Agricultural
4 Ibid.
Research Institute, Indian Veterinary Research
Institute, National Dairy Research Institute, Indian 5 Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Govt. of
India. 2017. ‘AGRI UDAAN- Food and Agribusiness
Institute of Horticultural Research for testing
Accelerator 2.0’. Press India Bureau (3 August).
and validation of the suitable technologies in
Available at: https://pib.gov.in/newsite/printre-
commercially important crops in different parts
lease.aspx?relid=169569
of the country. In the long run, there should
be a collaboration in these technology and 6 MARIANI, Joe and Junko Kaji.2016. ‘From Dirt to
Data: The Second Green Revolution and Inter-
agricultural institutions for the development of
net of Things’, Deloitte Review Issue 18. Available
such technologies for sustaining smart agriculture
at:https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/
in the country. There is a need to remember the deloitte-review/issue-18/second-green-revolution-
visionary water administrator and second Prime and-internet-of-things.html
Minister of Australia, Alfred Deakin who said in
1890 that “It is not the quantity of water applied (The author is Professor and Head, Department
to a crop, it is the quantity of intelligence applied of Plant Pathology, Dr.Y.S.Parmar University of
which determines the result - there is more due to Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan, Himachal
intelligence than water in every case.” Pradesh. Email: hrg_mpp@yahoo.com)
Agribot: Saving Water and Spraying Pesticides

It would not be surprising if you see drones deputed in the country’s
agricultural land spraying pesticides. Trials are being conducted in the
fields with Agribot drones. Spraying of pesticides with limited amount of
water is one of the great features of the Agribot drone. Where up to 400
litres of water is used for spraying pesticides in one acre field, the Agribot
can spray it in 8 litres of water. Pesticides are sprayed about 10 times a
year per acre. Accordingly, around 3920 litres of water is saved per acre
in a year. There are about 39 crore acres of cultivated land in India. If
pesticide spraying is made mandatory by drone, about 1.5 lakh crore litres of water can be saved.
Agribot drones are also being used to control grasshoppers. Amidst the terror of the locust attack, in January 2020,
the drone sprayed over 500 hectares of land in 16 days and freed the area from locusts. The spray from the drone
on the locust crew starts at 5 am and is repeated again in the evening. It takes about three minutes for a drone to
spray on one hectare of land. Around 99 percent of grasshoppers pile up in about 10 minutes. Preparations are
being made to eliminate the locusts by drones.
The Agribot drone can cover 50 acres a day with additional batteries. They are also able to operate in inaccessible
areas and mountains. In the middle and later stages of the crop the drone can enter the fields for spraying
pesticides, whereas this is not possible with heavy equipment. Along with saving water, the use of pesticides is
15 to 35 percent higher with drones than the conventional methods as the amount of chemical is scientifically
determined. By spraying pesticides with drones, farmers stay away from chemicals and they do not have any side
effects on their health.
By Nimish Kapoor, Scientist ‘E’ Vigyan Prasar

SPECIAL ARTICLE
COVID-19: India’s Response and the Way Forward

Urvashi Prasad
Several initiatives have been taken by the government to ramp up India’s surveillance, testing and contact tracing capabilities
as well as prevent the spread of COVID-19 infection. To facilitate effective contact tracing, Government of India has launched
the Aarogya Setu application which allows people to assess their risk of contracting the infection based on their location and
interactions with others who might be COVID-19 positive or high-risk themselves. Precise public health strategies need to be
developed at the micro-level with an emphasis on limiting the spread of the infection beyond the existing hotspots while also
allowing economic activities to resume in a calibrated manner along the lines of the broad guidelines laid out by the Centre.
With nearly 4.8 million cases and over 300,000

deaths globally in the span of a few months,
the Covid-19 pandemic has devastated health
systems and economies alike, including in some of
the most developed countries. As of June 04, India
had 2,16,919 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 6,075
people had succumbed to the disease. Fortunately,
recovery rates in India have been on a constant path
of improvement with nearly 39 percent of confirmed
COVID-19 patients having recovered from the disease
thus far. The fatality rate has also been relatively low
at 3 percent, compared to 14 percent in Italy and the was already seeing 79.21 daily COVID-19 cases
United Kingdom. per million population and 12.29 daily COVID-19
While several measures such as screening deaths per million population. By imposing a timely
passengers at airports, prohibiting large gatherings nationwide lockdown, India sent out a strong signal
in public places and introduction of social distancing that saving lives is the priority for the government.
norms had been initiated in stages by the Central and The lockdown was put in place to achieve
state governments, India entered into a nationwide the dual objectives of slowing the spread of the
lockdown on 25 March, 2020 when the number of infection as well as gearing up the health system
COVID-19 cases and fatalities were still very low. In fact, to deal with the disease at multiple levels. During
as per the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response this period, efforts have been made to boost health
Stringency Index, India’s lockdown stringency score infrastructure and human resource capacity in
was 100 when we had just 0.04 daily COVID-19 cases various parts of the country. Category I dedicated
per million population. In contrast, by the time Italy’s COVID-19 hospitals have been established to
lockdown stringency score exceeded 90, the country manage patients who are severely symptomatic.
These hospitals have fully equipped intensive care
units, ventilators and beds with assured oxygen
support. Category II dedicated COVID-19 health
centres have been set up for looking after patients
who have moderate symptoms of the disease.
To provide isolation and care for those who are
afflicted with only a very mild form of the illness,
Category III dedicated COVID-19 care centres
have been set up by repurposing hostels, schools,
stadiums and lodges. Testing laboratories for
COVID-19 have also been designated in the public
and private sectors.

As of 10 May,
2020, 7,740 facilities To facilitate effective
in 483 districts had contact tracing, Government of
been identified for India has launched the Aarogya
COVID-19 related care Setu application which allows
in various states and people to assess their risk of
union territories. There contracting the infection based on
were 6,56,769 isolation their location and interactions with
beds, 3,05,567 beds others who might be COVID-19
for confirmed cases, positive or at high risk themselves.
3,51,204 beds for The application makes use of state-
suspected cases, 99,492 of-the-art Bluetooth technology and
oxygen supported beds artificial intelligence. Within a short
and 34,076 ICU beds. A period since its launch, Aarogya
sum of Rs. 2000 Crore Setu has already been downloaded
has been allocated for in over 10 crore smartphones thus
the purchase of 50,000 far. It has also alerted at least 1.4
ventilators from the lakh users about the potential
PM CARES Fund. These risk of catching the infection due
ventilators will be to their proximity to COVID positive patients. For creating awareness about
utilised by government measures for boosting immunity, the AYUSH Sanjivani mobile application has
run COVID-19 hospitals also been launched as a collaborative effort between the Ministries of AYUSH
across India for the and MEITY. The application has been developed with the objective of reaching
treatment of critical out to at least 50 lakh people.
patients.
Several initiatives have also been taken by the A collaborative clinical research study on Ayurveda
government to ramp up India’s surveillance, testing interventions as prophylaxis and as supplements
and contact tracing capabilities as well as prevent to standard care for COVID has additionally been
the spread of the infection in India. For instance, the launched.
Consortium for Affordable and Rapid Diagnostics
To address the economic challenges posed by
(CARD) has been established for bringing together
the pandemic and lockdown, Prime Minister Shri
scientists, laboratories and private players to boost
Narendra Modi has announced a package of Rs.
the production of antibody tests which can help us 20 lakh crore as part of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat
to better understand the extent to which the Indian Abhiyan. The package includes a slew of measures
population has been affected by this infection. for ameliorating the hardships faced by the various
The objective of this consortium is to enable the segments of society including migrant labour, street
production of around 100 lakh rapid antibody tests vendors, urban poor, small businesses and salaried
that can offer quick results. workers.
Further, various scientific efforts have been As part of the overall package, a scheme for
initiated to find effective and safe vaccines as well developing affordable rental housing complexes for
as treatments for COVID-19. For instance, the the urban poor and migrant workers has also been
Department of Biotechnology and Biotechnology proposed. This measure will help to enhance their
Industry Research Assistance Council have shortlisted ease of living as well as provide them with social
promising applications received for the development security. Additional measures include a 2 percent
of vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics that can interest subvention for 12 months for MUDRA-
assist in the fight against COVID-19. A sum of Rs. 100 Shishu loanees, Rs. 5,000 crore credit facility for
Crore has also been allocated from the PM CARES street vendors, Rs. 2 lakh crore credit support for 2.5
Fund for supporting Indian academia, start-ups crore farmers under the Kisan Credit Card Scheme
and industries to develop and produce an effective and Rs. 30,000 crore as supplementary emergency
vaccine that can protect our people from this disease. working capital for farmers through NABARD.

It is also important to note that the government

For migrant workers, the Central Government has undertaken reforms in several sectors over the
will provide a supply of free food grains for two last few years that have enabled it to respond to the
months. A ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ scheme pandemic better and also prepare for such crises in
is also being rolled out to enable migrant workers the future. For instance, in the area of public health,
and their families to avail benefits under the Public for the first time, a comprehensive effort was made
Distribution System from any Fair Price Shop for incorporating traditional medicine within the
in India regardless of whether they are in their overall framework for promoting health and well-
own state or not. Further, special trains are being being through the National AYUSH Mission. In
run across the country to ensure that migrant 2017, the first-ever All India Institute of Ayurveda
workers can reach their villages safely during the was launched along the lines of AIIMS, New Delhi,
time of the lockdown. The PM CARES Fund has for creating synergies between the traditional
also allocated an amount Rs. 1000 crore for the wisdom of Ayurveda and modern technologies. The
welfare of migrant labour. These funds will be honourable Prime Minister also laid tremendous
disbursed to States and Union Territories who can emphasis on cleanliness and hygiene through the
pass them on to district collectors and municipal Swachh Bharat Abhiyan under which nearly 100
commissioners for supporting their efforts in percent of households in rural India now have
providing food, medical aid and transportation access to a toilet, compared to merely 29.1 percent
facilities to the poor and migrant workers. in 2005–06.
Further, to build a robust primary healthcare
Revival of the economy depends to a great system, the government announced the setting up
extent on the Medium, Small and Micro Enterprises of 150,000 Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs)
(MSME) sector. The definition of an MSME has been between 2018 and 2022 under the Ayushman Bharat
expanded to allow for higher investment limits and initiative. The HWCs that are currently operational
several measures have been announced to boost across the country are playing an important role
their growth. These include a Rs. 3 lakh crore through the delivery of essential medicines to
emergency credit line for enabling 45 lakh units to patients with non-communicable diseases as well
access working capital, kickstart business activity as utilisation of telemedicine for providing quality
and protect jobs. The honourable Finance Minister medical advices to patients in remote and rural areas
has also announced that the Central Government at a time when social distancing norms have made it
will provide subordinate debt to the tune of Rs. difficult for people to have in-person consultations
20,000 crore for supporting two lakh stressed with healthcare providers. The second pillar of
MSMEs or those that are considered to be non-
Ayushman Bharat is the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya
performing assets. Further, an MSME fund of funds
Yojana (PM-JAY) that was also launched for providing
has been proposed with a corpus of Rs. 10,000 crore
10 crore of the poorest and most vulnerable families
for catalysing a Rs. 50,000 crore equity infusion. In
in the country an annual cover of Rs. 5 lakh per annum
order to support microfinance institutions and non-
for hospitalization-related expenses. By consolidating
banking finance companies that serve MSMEs, a Rs.
30,000 crore investment scheme will be launched multiple health insurance schemes under PM-JAY,
by the Centre alongside an expanded partial credit the government took a major step towards ‘One
guarantee scheme of Rs. 45,000 crore. Nation One Scheme’ for ensuring that ultimately all
citizens can access a common package of secondary
An important step for salaried workers and and tertiary health services regardless of the state in
tax payers is the extension in the deadline for which they reside. Testing and providing treatment
filing income tax returns for the 2019-20 financial for COVID-19 has also been brought under PM-JAY.
year. The due date has now been pushed to 30
November, 2020. The rates of Tax Deduction At Additionally, the government has invested in
Source (TDS) and Tax Collection At Source (TCS) tools such as telehealth, mobile health and Artificial
have also been reduced by 25 percent for the next Intelligence (AI) for lowering barriers between
year, while statutory Provident Fund (PF) payments hospitals and patients, thereby improving access to
have been lowered from 12 percent to 10 percent care, especially in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. AI solutions
for employers and employees for the coming can provide doctors with an unbiased second
three months. opinion on diagnosis, treatment options, potential

risks and predicted outcomes. For doctors working is noteworthy that 112 aspirational districts where
under considerable time pressure, AI can prove to approximately 20 percent of India’s population
be an important supportive tool for collating test resides, account for less than 2percentof the
reports of patients, studying their medical records country’s total COVID-19 positive cases.
and suggesting treatments. Crucially, AI can enable
Further, to formalise the economy, the
healthcare personnel to detect the dormant signs of
government has taken several steps over the
diseases, thereby ensuring prevention or treatment
last few years to increase the adoption of digital
at an early stage.
payments. With UPI, the government has created a
In the area of digital health, the National public infrastructure on which the private sector is
Health Stack proposed by NITI Aayog in 2018 is an continually innovating. The merchant discount rate
important step. It is designed to offer a suite of for digital transactions was also subsidised in a bid
advanced technologies which can be incorporated to incentivise wider adoption. Digital payments are
into overall digital health implementation in India. playing a crucial role at a time when physical cash
The availability of these “plug-in” modules will transactions are being discouraged for health reasons
simplify and accelerate progress in implementing as well. Moreover, the government has also extensively
digital health in facilities and for health payers. leveraged the JAM Trinity – Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan
It will also facilitate collection of comprehensive Yojana (PMJDY), Aadhaar and mobile telephone for
healthcare data across the country. The focus of this ensuring the funds directly reach beneficiaries in an
work will allow policymakers to experiment with efficient and transparent manner.
policies, detect fraud in health insurance, measure
As India enters the next phase of the lockdown,
outcomes and move towards smart policy making.
the government’s strategy is focused on balancing
Further, in 2019, the National Digital Health Blueprint
the public health and economic imperatives. As
was released by the government. The key features
emphasised by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi
of the blueprint include a Federated Architecture, a
in his recent addresses to the nation, COVID-19 will
set of architectural principles, a five-layered system
remain a part of our lives for quite some time to
of architectural building blocks, Unique Health ID
come and we therefore need to learn to live with it.
(UHID), privacy and consent management, national
This will require each one of us to continue to adhere
portability and Electronic Health Records (EHRs),
to social distancing norms, including wearing of face
among others. This blueprint can now be translated
covers in public places, as well as focusing on hand
into practice through the proposed National Digital
hygiene.
Health Mission. In late March, 2020, the Government
also released guidelines for telemedicine which will Unlike some of the viral pandemics that
go a long way in scaling up this practice across the have affected the world in the past, an unusual
country and connecting people in all parts of the feature of the COVID-19 infection is that it remains
country with doctors and specialists. asymptomatic or only mild symptomatic in a large
majority of people. This makes it challenging to
To achieve social justice and improve the
contain its spread as people are not even aware
country’s ranking in the Human Development
about being infected. We therefore need to remain
Index, Government of India had launched the highly
vigilant. Thus far, COVID-19 has not spread evenly
ambitious Aspirational Districts Programme for
across India. In fact, over 99 percent of the active
transforming 112 districts in the country that are
cases till date are concentrated in ten states. Within
lagging behind in specific development parameters.
states, the infection is still largely confined to large
Many of these districts are leading by example in
urban centres. Therefore, precise public health
India’s fight against COVID-19. Some of the best
strategies need to be developed at the micro-level
practices to emerge from these districts during the
with an emphasis on limiting the spread of the
time of the pandemic include phone booth testing
infection beyond the existing hotspots while also
in West Singhbhum, sanitising tunnels in Khunti,
allowing economic activities to resume in a calibrated
telemedicine services in Chitrakoot as well as
awareness creation through the community radio in manner along the lines of the broad guidelines laid
Nuh. Many aspirational districts have manufactured out by the Centre.
face masks and sanitisers locally as well as made use (The author is Public Policy Specialist, NITI
of cutting-edge mobile testing vans for COVID-19. It Aayog, Email: urvashi.prasad@nic.in)

Water Conservation: Minimizing Wastage

Vishnu Sharma
Since water is a natural resource and it cannot be created in factories or laboratories, the only solution to our looming water
crisis is conserving water. The present government has shown unprecedented interest in water conservation, minimising
wastage and ensuring equitable distribution. Within a month of the announcement of the creation of the Ministry of Jal
Shakti, the government launched a campaign for water conservation and water security named Jal Shakti Abhiyaan or JSA.
The Abhiyaan aims to focus on integrated demand and supply management of water at the local level, including creation
of local infrastructure for source sustainability using rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge and management of
household wastewater for reuse.
L
ike in many philosophical traditions
of the world, the Indian tradition
too puts great emphasis on the
importance of water in life. In the ancient
Indian tradition, ap or water is one of the
five panchmahabhutas or great elements
of life. Early Indian literature belonging
to Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and
other traditions had highlighted the
importance of water and its conservation.
The rich Ayurvedic literature of the
subcontinent has countless treaties on
water. It goes to the extent of defining
it as jiva or life. However, this elixir of
life is becoming increasingly scarce due
to challenges of rising population, rapid
urbanisation, industrial growth and urban dwellers, China 255 million and Nigeria 189
increasing water pollution. Since the second half of million.”1
the previous century, the world has been urbanising
rapidly. According to the Population Division of the The rapid urbanization has led to severe
UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs crisis of useable water in the world, particularly
(UNDESA), a division established in 1946 to study in developing countries such as ours. In India, per
“population dynamics and monitoring demographic capita availability of water has decreased from
trends and policies worldwide”, in 1950, only 30 2209 m3/year in 1991 to 1545 m3/year in 2011 and
it is estimated to decline further upto 1140m3/
percent of the world’s population lived in urban
year in the year 2050. Furthermore, demand
areas, whereas by 2018 the world population living
for water from various sectors viz. irrigation,
in the urban setting had grown to 55 percent. The
drinking water, industry, energy and others is
urban population of the world has grown rapidly
expected to rise from 710 billion cubic metre
from 751 million in 1950 to 4.2 billion in 2018. The
(BCM) in the year 2010 to 843 BCM in the year
UNDESA, in 2018, noted:
2025 and further to 1180 BCM in the year 2050.
“Future increases in the size of the world’s According to a 2018 NITI Aayog report, currently
urban population are expected to be highly 600 million Indians face high to extreme water
concentrated in just a few countries. Together, stress and about two lakh people die every year
India, China and Nigeria will account for 35 percent due to inadequate access to safe water. By 2030,
of the projected growth of the world’s urban the country’s water demand is projected to be
population between 2018 and 2050. By 2050, it twice the available supply, implying severe water
is projected that India will have added 416 million scarcity for hundreds of millions of people and

Jal Jeevan Mission

Vision
Every rural household has drinking water supply in
adequate quantity of prescribed quality on regular and
long-term basis at affordable service delivery charges
leading to improvement in living standards of rural
communities.
Mission
Jal Jeevan Mission is to assist, empower and facilitate:
• States/UTs in planning of participatory rural water supply
strategy for ensuring potable drinking water security
on long-term basis to every rural household and public
institution, viz. GP building, school, Anganwadi centre,
health centre, wellness centres, etc.
• States/UTs for creation of water supply infrastructure so that every rural household has Functional Tap
Connection (FTC) by 2024 and water in adequate quantity of prescribed quality is made available on
regular basis.
• States/UTs to plan for their drinking water security.
• GPs/rural communities to plan, implement, manage, own, operate and maintain their own in-village
water supply systems.
• States/UTs to develop robust institutions having focus on service delivery and financial sustainability of
the sector by promoting utility approach.
• Capacity building of the stakeholders and creating awareness in community on significance of water for
improvement in quality of life.
• In making provision and mobilisation of financial assistance to states/UTs for implementation of the
mission.
Objectives
The broad objectives of the Mission are:
• To provide Functional Household Tap Connection (FHTC) to every rural household.
• To prioritize provision of FHTCs in quality affected areas, villages in drought prone and desert areas,
Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) villages, etc.
• To provide Functional Tap Connection to schools, Anganwadi centres, GP buildings, health centres,
wellness centres and community buildings.
• To monitor functionality of tap connections.
• To promote and ensure voluntary ownership among local community by way of contribution in cash,
kind and/or labour and voluntary labour (shramdaan).
• To assist in ensuring sustainability of water supply system, i.e. water source, water supply infrastructure,
and funds for regular O&M.
• To empower and develop human resource in the sector such that the demands of construction, plumbing,
electrical, water quality management, water treatment, catchment protection, O&M, etc. are taken care
of in short and long term.
• To bring awareness on various aspects and significance of safe drinking water and involvement of
stakeholders in manner that make water everyone's business.

Components under JJM

The following components are supported under JJM:
• Development of in-village piped water supply infrastructure to provide tap water connection to every
rural household.
• Development of reliable drinking water sources and/ or augmentation of existing sources to provide
long-term sustainability of water supply system.
• Wherever necessary, bulk water transfer, treatment plants and distribution network to cater to every
rural household.
• Technological interventions for removal of contaminants where water quality is an issue.
• Retrofitting of completed and ongoing schemes to provide FHTCs at minimum service level of 55
lpcd.
• Greywater management
• Support activities, i.e. IEC, HRD, training, development of utilities, water quality. laboratories, water
quality testing & surveillance, R&D, knowledge centre, capacity building of communities, etc.
• Any other unforeseen challenges/ issues emerging due to natural disasters/ calamities which affect
the goal of FHTC to every household by 2024, as per guidelines of Ministry of Finance on Flexi Funds.
Efforts should be made to source funds from different sources/programmes and convergence is the key.
(Source: Ministry of Jal Shakti, https://jalshakti-ddws.gov.in/ ;https://jaljeevanmission.gov.in/content/about-jjm#objectives)
an eventual six percent loss in the country’s GDP. user in the country. Household use comes second
When we speak of water, we generally mean with 9 percent share of the extracted groundwater
freshwater because even when 70 percent of our followed by industry that uses only 2 percent of it.
planet is covered with water, only 2.5 per cent of it Similarly, the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB)
is consumable. According to the UN Environment’s has stated in Lok Sabha that 50 percent of urban
document ‘Freshwater Strategy 2017-2021’, water requirement and 85 percent of rural domestic
freshwater plays a fundamental role in support of water needs are fulfilled by groundwater. This kind
the environment, society and the economy. Since of use has caused a reduction in groundwater levels
water is a natural resource and it cannot be created in India by 61 percent between 2007 and 2017.
in factories or laboratories, the only solution
Towards Water Conservation
to our looming water crisis is conserving water.
In seven out of India’s 10 most populous cities, the The present government has shown
depth to groundwater has increased significantly unprecedented interest in water conservation,
over the last two decades. This is an alarming minimising wastage and ensuring equitable
situation because India is the biggest user of distribution. In his first Mann Ki Baat programme
groundwater. According to a report India extracts in the second term as the Prime Minister of India,
more groundwater than China and the US the next Shri Narendra Modi described water crisis as on
two biggest pullers of groundwater combined. one of the biggest challenges facing India today.
Half of total clean water needed in our country Telling that water is of great importance in our
is met from groundwater. The 2014 report of culture he quoted the Rigveda’s Apah Suktam or
the parliamentary standing committee on water hymn:
resources constituted on August 5, 2004, found vkiksfg"Bke;ksHkqo%] LFkkuÅtsZn/kkru] egsj.kk;p{kls]
that the groundwater forms the largest share of ;kso%f'koreksjl%] rL;Hkkt;rsgu%] m"krhfjoekrj% A
India’s agriculture and drinking water supply. About (Water which is the life force and also, the source of
89 percent of groundwater extracted in India is energy. Please bless us like a mother and may your
used for irrigation making it the highest category blessings continue on to be showered upon us.)
(Contd. on page 28)

Measures for Relief and Credit Support to Businesses to Support Indian

Economy’s Fight against COVID-19
Summary of the Roadmap Laid Out by the Union Finance Minister on
13 May, 2020 for Creation of Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan
or Self-Reliant India Movement
Highlights outstanding credit as on
Finance and Corporate 29 February 2020, in the
Affairs Minister Smt. Nirmala form of a Term Loan at a
Sitharaman said, "essentially, concessional rate of interest
will be provided. This will be
the goal is to build a self-reliant
available to units with upto
India that is why the Economic
Rs. 25 crore outstanding
Package is called Aatmanirbhar and turnover of up to Rs.
Bharat Abhiyan". Citing 100 crore whose accounts
the pillars on which we are standard. The units will
seek to build Aatmanirbhar not have to provide any
Bharat Abhiyan, she said guarantee or collateral of
our focus would be on land, their own. The amount will
labour, liquidity and law. be 100 percent guaranteed
During the press conference by the Government of India
in New Delhi on May 13, 2020, providing a total liquidity
Smt. Sitharaman announced of Rs. 3.0 lakh crore to more
measures focused on getting than 45 lakh MSMEs.
back to work i.e., enabling employees and employers, 2. Rs. 50,000 crore equity infusion through MSME
businesses, especially Micro, Small and Medium Fund of Funds
Enterprises, to get back to production and workers
back to gainful employment. Efforts to strengthen The Government will set up a Fund of Funds with
Non-Banking Finance Institutions, Housing Finance a corpus of Rs. 10,000 crore that will provide equity
Companies, Micro Finance Sector and Power Sector funding support for MSMEs. The Fund of Funds shall
were also unfolded. Other than this, the tax relief to be operated through a Mother and a few Daughter
businesses, relief from contractual commitments to funds. It is expected that with leverage of 1:4 at the
contractors in public procurement and compliance relief level of daughter funds, the Fund of Funds will be able
to real estate sector were also covered. to mobilise equity of about Rs. 50,000 crore.
3. Rs. 20,000 crore Subordinate Debt for Stressed
Following measures were announced on 13
MSMEs
May, 2020
Provision made for Rs. 20,000 crore subordinate
1. Rs. 3 lakh crore Emergency Working Capital debt for two lakh MSMEs which are NPA or are
Facility for Businesses, including MSMEs stressed. Government will support them with Rs.
To provide relief to the business, additional 4,000 crore to Credit Guarantee Trust for Micro and
26
working capital finance of 20 percent of the Small enterprises. Banks areKurukshetra June 2020
expected to provide the

provide 20 percent first loss sovereign

guarantee to Public Sector Banks.
9. Relief to Contractors
All central agencies like Railways,
Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
and CPWD will give extension of up to
six months for completion of contractual
obligations, including in respect of EPC
and concession agreements
10. Tax Relief to Business
The pending income tax refunds
to charitable trusts and non-corporate
subordinate-debt to promoters of such MSMEs equal businesses and professions including
to 15 percent of his existing stake in the unit subject to proprietorship, partnership and LLPs and cooperatives
a maximum of Rs. 75 lakh. shall be issued immediately.
4. No Global tenders for Government Tenders of up 11. Rs. 90,000 crore Liquidity Injection for DISCOMs
to Rs. 200 crore Power Finance Corporation and Rural
General Financial Rules of the Government will Electrification Corporation will infuse liquidity in
be amended to disallow global tender enquiries in the DISCOMS to the extent of Rs. 90,000 crore in
procurement of Goods and Services of value of less two equal installments. This amount will be used
than Rs. 200 crore. by DISCOMS to pay their dues to Transmission and
5. Employees Provident Fund Support for Business Generation companies.
and Organised Workers
The scheme introduced as part of PMGKP
under which Government of India contributes 12
percent of salary each on behalf of both employer
and employee to EPF will be extended by another 3
months for salary months of June, July and August
2020. Total benefits accrued is about Rs 2500 crore
to 72.22 lakh employees.
6. EPF Contribution to be Reduced for Employers
and Employees for 3 Months
Statutory PF contribution of both employer
and employee reduced to 10 percent each from
existing 12 percent each for all establishments 12. Tax related measures
covered by EPFO for next 3 months. This will provide
liquidity of about Rs. 2250 crore per month. • Reduction in Rates of ‘Tax Deduction at
Source’ and ‘Tax Collected at Source’ - The TDS
7. Rs. 30,000 crore Special Liquidity Scheme for
rates for all non-salaried payment to residents,
NBFC/HFC/MFIs
and tax collected at source rate will be reduced by
Government will launch Rs. 30,000 crore Special 25 percent of the specified rates for the remaining
Liquidity Scheme, liquidity being provided by RBI. period of FY 20-21. This will provided liquidity to
Investment will be made in primary and secondary the tune of Rs. 50,000 crore.
market transactions in investment grade debt paper
of NBFCs, HFCs and MFIs. This will be 100 percent • The due date of all Income Tax Returns for
guaranteed by the Government. Assessment Year 2020-21 will be extended to 30
November, 2020. Similarly, tax audit due date will
8. Rs. 45,000 crore Partial Credit Guarantee Scheme be extended to 31 October 2020.
2.0 for Liabilities of NBFCs/MFIs
• The date for making payment without additional
Existing Partial Credit Guarantee scheme is amount under the “Vivad Se Vishwas” scheme
being revamped and now will be extended to cover will be extended to 31 December, 2020.
the borrowings of lower rated NBFCs, HFCs and other
Kurukshetra 27
Micro Finance June 2020 (MFIs). Government will
Institutions

(Contd. from page 25)

It was in this programme that Shri Modi extensive communication. The JSA is a collaborative
announced the creation of Jal Shakti Ministry effort of various ministries of the Government of
by merging Ministry of Water Resources, River India and State Governments. Under the JSA, teams
Development and Ganga Rejuvenation and Ministry of officers from the central government will visit
of Drinking Water and Sanitation. He told, “This will and work with the district administration in 1592
allow faster decision-making on all subjects related water-stressed blocks in 256 districts to ensure five
to water.” Shri Modi also informed that he had important water conservation interventions such
written letter to the Sarpanchs and Gram Pradhans as water conservation and rainwater harvesting,
across the country suggesting them that in order to renovation of traditional and other water bodies/
save water, to collect water, to save the very drops tanks, reuse, borewell recharge structures, watershed
of the rainwater, they should convene a meeting of development and intensive afforestation. These
the Gram Sabha and sit and discuss the resolution water conservation efforts will also be supplemented
to this problem with the villagers. with special interventions including the development
of Block and District Water Conservation Plans,
Schemes for Water Conservation promotion of efficient water use for irrigation
and better choice of crops through Krishi Vigyan
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri
Kendras.A large-scale communications campaign has
Narendra Modi, the government has successfully
also been planned alongside the JSA involving mass
launched various schemes with the multipurpose
mobilisation of different groups including school
aim of conserving water, minimising its wastage
students, college students, swachhagrahis, Self Help
and ensuring equitable distribution. Two major
Groups, Panchayati Raj Institution members, youth
such schemers are Jal Shakti Abhiyaan and Pradhan
groups (NSS/NYKS/NCC), defence personnel, ex-
Krishi Sinchayee Yojana.
servicemen and pensioners, among various others.
Jal Shakti Abhiyaan: Within a month of the
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana:
announcement of the creation of the Ministry of
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs
Jal Shakti, the government launched a campaign for
water conservation and water security named Jal (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Modi on July
Shakti Abhiyaan or JSA2. The Abhiyaan aims to focus 1, 2015 had given approval to the launch of the
on integrated demand and supply management scheme with the duel aim of ‘Har Khet Ko Pani’
of water at the local level, including creation of and improving water use efficiency ‘More crop per
local infrastructure for source sustainability using drop’ in a focused manner.
rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge and According to the press release of the CCEA
management of household wastewater for reuse. on July 2, 2015 the PMKSY was formulated
According to its website, the JSA is a time-bound, by amalgamating the then-running schemes
mission-mode water conservation campaign. The like Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme
JSA has two phases. The firstphase ran from July (AIBP) of the Ministry of Water Resources, River
1to September 15,2019 for all states and Union Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Integrated
Territories; and the time period of the second phase Watershed Management Programme (IWMP) of
wasfrom October 1to November 30,2019 for states Department of Land Resources (DoLR) and the On
and UTs receiving the retreating monsoon (Andhra Farm Water Management (OFWM) of Department
Pradesh, Karnataka, Puducherry and Tamil Nadu). of Agriculture and Cooperation (DAC). The scheme
During the campaign, officers, groundwater experts has been divided into 99 prioritized projects with
and scientists from the Government of India worked different timelines. Total expected expenditure
together with state and district officials in India’s in the complete project is estimated to be 77595
most water-stressed districts or districts with critical crore rupees with Central share of 31342 crore
or over-exploited groundwater levels as per the rupees. Total irrigation potential utilisation after
Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) 2017 for water completion of the entire project is expected to
conservation and water resource management by be 76.03 lakh hectares. Many projects which
focusing on accelerated implementation of five were at standstill such as Gosikhurd (2.5 lakh ha.)
target intervention. The JSA aims at making water Maharashtra, were streamlined and put on track
conservation a jan andolan through asset creation and for timely completion.

Fund required for completion Irrigation Potential

No. of (Rs. in crore) Central Share
Category Utilisation
Projects (Rs. in crore)
AIBP CAD TOTAL (Lakh Ha.)
Priority-I projects
(Completion by 23 7956 5466 13423 6535 14.53
3/2017)
Priority-II projects
(Completionby 31 8080 4825 12905 4269 12.95
3/2018)
Priority-III projects
(Completion by 45 32510 18757 51268 20538 48.55
12/2019)
TOTAL 99 48546 29049 77595 31342 76.03
The major objective of the PMKSY has been to The details of the project under PMKSY, as
achieve convergence of investments in irrigation per a 2017 Water Resources Ministry release, are
at the field level, expand cultivable area under as under3:
assured irrigation, improve on-farm water use Apart from this, to encourage stakeholders
efficiency to reduce wastage of water, enhance the like water user associations, institutions,
adoption of precision-irrigation and other water corporate sector, individuals, Non-Governmental
saving technologies, enhance recharge of aquifers Organisations (NGOs), gram panchayats, urban local
and introduce sustainable water conservation bodies to adopt innovative practices of groundwater
practices by exploring the feasibility of reusing augmentation like creating awareness through
treated municipal-based water for peri-urban people’s participation, rainwater harvesting and
agriculture and attract greater private investment artificial recharge, promoting water use efficiency,
recycling and reuse of water, the government in
in precision irrigation system.
2007 launched the Groundwater Augmentation
The scheme also aims at bringing concerned Awards and National Water Award.
ministries, departments, agencies, research
Footnotes
and financial institutions engaged in recycling
of water, under a common platform, so that a 1 UNDESA. 2018. ‘The Speed of Urbanization
comprehensive and holistic view of the entire Around the World’, Population Facts. UNDESA,
“water cycle” is taken into account and proper Population Division. Available at: https://popu-
water budgeting is done for all sectors namely, lation.un.org/wup/Publications/Files/WUP2018-
PopFacts_2018-1.pdf
household, agriculture and industries.
2 Ministry of Jal Shakti. 2019. ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan for
The programme is supervised and monitored Water Conservation Launched’. Press India Bureau,
at the national level by an Inter-Ministerial National Government of India. Available at: https://pib.
Steering Committee (NSC) under the Chairmanship gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=191069
of the Prime Minister with Union Ministers of all 3 Ministry of Water Resources. 2017. ‘Press Brief
concerned Ministries. Accordingly, on August 6, about The Achievements of The Ministry of Wa-
2015 a National Executive Committee (NEC) was ter Resources, River Development and Ganga
constituted under the Chairmanship of the Vice Rejuvenation During the Last Three Years’. Press
Chairman of NITI Aayog to oversee programme Information Bureau, Government of India. Avail-
implementation, allocation of resources, inter- able at: https://pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.
ministerial coordination, monitoring and performance aspx?relid=165747
assessment, addressing administrative issues, etc. At (The author is a senior journalist based in Delhi.
the state level the scheme is administered by a State He has been covering national and international
Level Sanctioning Committee (SLSC) chaired by the affairs for over a decade. Email-simplyvishnu2004@
Chief Secretary of the respective states. yahoo.co.in)

Solution to Groundwater Crisis

Bhuwan Bhaskar
Farmers need to be made aware and trained about conservation of water. There are many farmers across the country who
have developed unique models of cultivation where each drop of rain water falling within their farm land is preserved. One
thing is very clear. We cannot create water. We can only preserve water that we already have with us and that we will get in
future in the form of rains.
W
hile presenting the General Budget to fathom the water crisis scientifically at every inch
for 2020–21, Finance Minister of the country. NITI Aayog described it as “the first
Nirmala Sitharaman announced that comprehensive collection of country-wide water data
the government will identify 100 most ‘water in India based on in-depth structured questionnaires
stressed’ districts and comprehensive measures followed by focus group discussions to generate
on addressing this shortage will be chalked out. Ms qualitative information.” The scenario that this
Sitharaman further told that this will be a part of decorated document unveiled left little option with
the Jal Jivan mission, for which Rs 3.06 lakh crore the government to further delay the response to the
has been earmarked. The proceeds outlined for looming water crisis in front of the country.
the Jal Jivan is slated to be used for augmenting Ground Water Crisis in India: How severe is it?
existing water resources, recharging of lakes,
According to the maiden CWMI report released
water desalination, rain water harvesting as well as
by the NITI Aayog in 2018, 21 major cities (Delhi,
sewage water treatment.
Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad and others) are
Announcement of such a huge cash spending racing to reach zero groundwater levels by 2020,
on a problem which had so far been mostly heard affecting access for 100 million people. Nearly 40
only in seminars, closed door discussions and by percent of the population will have absolutely no
the way of NGO activism, was no aberration. The access to drinking water by 2030, and 6 percent
preface of this development had been written in of India’s GDP would be lost by 2050 due to water
2018 when NITI Aayog, the top intellectual body of crisis. However, 12 per cent of India’s population
the Central Government, came up with its maiden is already living the ‘Day Zero’ scenario, thanks to
the Composite Water Management Index (CWMI). excessive groundwater pumping, an inefficient and
This was the first ever effort in independent India wasteful water management system and years of

deficient rains. The CWMI report also states that by actual users of ground water are common people. So,
2030, the country’s water demand is projected to the government can play its role by two ways. One,
be twice the available supply, implying severe water by extending policy incentives to stop the misuse of
scarcity for hundreds of millions of people. It has ground water and two, by unleashing a movement
been reported that in many parts of the country the on the model of ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ to create
water table is declining at the rate of 1-2 m/year.1 awareness among people against wasting water.
As per the international norms, a country Anatomy of the Problem
is classified as water stressed and water scarce if
While talking about the water crisis, potability
per capita water availability goes below 1700 cubic
is only a small part of the problem. In fact, many
meter and 1000 cubic meter, respectively. To keep
developed countries have already found a solution
things in perspective with respect to India, quoting
of potable water by turning sea water into drinkable
Mr. T Mohapatra, Director General, Indian Council
water on mass scale. But the real catastrophe waiting
for Agriculture Research (ICAR) would be relevant,
to happen, is in agriculture. As per the Land Use
who pointed out that the per capita annual water
Statistics 2014–15, the total geographical area of
availability has declined to 1508 cubic meter in
the country is 328.7 million hectares, of which 140.1
2014 from 5177 cubic meter in 1951. While briefing
million hectares is the reported net sown area. As per
a section of media on water management in agri
sector on September 5, 2019, he warned, “The per a World Bank report, India withdrew a total of 761
capita availability of water is estimated to decline billion cubic meter ground water in 2018 out of which
further to 1465 cubic meter by 2025 and 1235 cubic 688 billion cubic metre was used for agriculture. This
meter by 2050. If it declines further to around 1000- is 90 percent of the total ground water withdrawn
1100 cubic meter, then India could be declared as in a year. The other side of the problem is that out
water-stressed country.” of the total water volume needed for agriculture, 70
percent is groundwater today. Both the data, if put
Government’s Response So Far together, gives us a glimpse about the possible ways
Equipped with the broad scientific data to find a solution of this grim problem, which we will
about rapidly deteriorating qualitative as well as discuss in the last section of this article.
quantitative water tables across India, the Narendra Venturing deeper into the problem takes us to
Modi Government established a whole new ministry another anomaly. We, as a country, have a troubling
to fight the menace in its second term. In May record of rationalising crop selection on the basis
2019, as Modi 2.0 government took the reign of of availability of water and that is a big part of the
the country in its second term, the Prime Minister problem. According to various research reports a kg
merged two ministries Ministry of Water Resources, of rice needs 2500–4000 L of water for production
River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation and whereas it takes 2515 L of water to produce a
Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation to create kilogram of sugar in Maharashtra, according to the
a new ministry, which was named as Ministry of Jal Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).
Shakti. The ministry launched Jal Shakti Abhiyan in Looking at Indians’ fondness for rice and sugar, it
an effort to over bridge the water challenge being should not be a shock for anybody to note that 60
faced by 1592 water-stressed blocks in 256 districts percent of total water consumed in agriculture is
by the way of a campaign for water conservation and guzzled by only these two crops. Export also plays its
water security. It was decided on the highest level role in it as India is one of the biggest exporter of rice
that water conservation efforts would be unleashed and sugar. Just in 2018–19, India exported 38.55 lakh
to ensure five important water conservation tonne of Basmati Rice to around 90 countries. Now
interventions: water conservation and rainwater if we assume an average 3500 L of water is used to
harvesting; renovation of traditional and other water produce 1 kg of rice, we virtually exported 13.5 billion
bodies/tanks; reuse borewell recharge structures; litres of ground water in the guise of rice. Similarly,
watershed development and intensive afforestation. we exported 37 lakh tonne sugar during 2018–19
Nevertheless it is very clear that government’s marketing year and so, in a way, we exported more
capability to address the problem is limited as the than 9 billion litres of our ground water.

Punjab, a celebrated story of agricultural But this is not the only way how farmers
success, is gradually turning into a graveyard of are getting impacted by the ground water crisis.
agriculture. The result of the policy of excessive Water scarcity impacts farmers’ profit negatively,
subsidy on chemical fertilizers and pesticides on one established a study titled ‘The Efficiency of Rationing:
hand and encouragement to farmers for unbridled Agricultural Power Subsidies, Power Supply and
use of groundwater by providing them free electricity Groundwater Depletion in Rajasthan’ published in
on the other, has resulted in double whammy. One, 2018. This study found that farmers facing greater
the state is devoid of ground water and two, the water scarcity sink deeper wells and are more likely
upper crest under soil has developed a layer of hard to grow water-hardy crops and make investments
chemical residue due to which the rain water simply in water-conserving irrigation technologies. Despite
flows away without seeping into the ground. So, there these investments, water scarcity still decreases
is little bewilderment that Punjab has the highest profits and lands them in debt, according to the
ground water development ratio. The level of ground study. In many parts of the country, where the ground
water development is very high in the states of Delhi, water has reached to the level of rocks beneath soil,
Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan, where ground water the productivity has gone down drastically and the
development is more than 100 percent with Punjab cost of cultivation has shot up. Even in the selection
being on top with 172 percent. This implies that in of crops, the farmers in such areas don’t find much
these states, the annual ground water consumption option. Even if the water table goes down below
is more than annual ground water recharge. Not only 600 ft plus, the cost of borewell increases multiple
that, incentives to waste water has also worsened times. There are strong links between cash cropping,
the state’s water productivity. Punjab requires two to the failure of borewells, overwhelming debts and
three times as much water as Bihar and West Bengal farmer suicides in the semi-arid regions of northern
and western Andhra Pradesh and other parts of the
to produce a kilogram of rice.
Deccan plateau, according to a study published in
How will it impact the farmers? Third World Quarterly in 2013.
Farmers often give such maths a cold shoulder What is the solution?
terming it a luxury because they think it is something
One thing is very clear. We cannot create water.
they are supposed to worry about in favour of
We can only preserve water that we already have with
comparatively affluent people. What they don’t us and that we will get in future in the form of rains.
comprehend is that it is them, who is most affected But again the rain data across the globe describes the
by this anomaly. The adversity befalls upon them in challenge. While at just over 260 cubic km per year,
two ways. Sinking water level increases their cost India uses 25 percent of all groundwater extracted
of cultivation and decreases the production level at globally, ahead of the US and China, while it receives
one hand, and increases their cost of living on the only four percent of the global precipitation and
other hand. Marathwada region in Maharashtra is a ranks 133 in the world in terms of water availability
classic case in this context. In the eight districts of per person per annum.
Marathwada, on an average, one tonne sugarcane
crop needs about 70000 L of water while a total So, the approach to control the situation before
it gets out of hand must have multi-directional
of 18.1 lakh tonnes of sugarcane was produced in
dimensions. And because 90 percent of the water
Marathwada during 2018–19. That simply means,
is used by agriculture, no solution will work lest we
Marathwada’s ground water was depleted by
should keep cultivation in the centre. The key to
126700 million litres just in one year. Incidentally, the solution is producing more with less water. This
Marathwada’s average yield per acre is about 50 goal can be achieved in two ways, one by shifting
tonnes, while the State’s average yield is 80 tonnes. from more water guzzling crops to lesser ones and
And in a city like Aurangabad, people pay around two, by creating awareness among farmers to use
Rs. 1000 for a water tanker carrying 2500 L of water. micro-irrigation tools. To achieve the optimum result
Just remember, this is the same quantity that is used with the first approach, ICAR’s two bodies, National
to make a kg of sugar. So, in a way, the 1.25 lakhs Institute of Agricultural Economics and Policy
sugarcane farmers, along with lakhs other, are also Research and Indian Institute of Farming Systems
buying a kg of sugar in a whopping Rs. 1000. Research at Modipuram, Meerut, are working

toward this aim. The crop planning would be based is cultivated to hold the water and the fifth point of
on local climatic conditions, water availability and this technology is by creating a ‘locking trench’. In
overall demand-supply situation and could help this method, the whole farm land is given a slope
the government to plan its incentives in such ways towards one side and a trench is dug parallel to the
that farmers will adopt those recommended crops, slope side. Sharma, for example, has dug 80 feet long
according to the ICAR. trench along one side of his farm. This trench is 6 ft
deep and 4 ft wide. To provide a locking inside the
Experts say there is a need to double the area
trench, he has created multiple lock chambers of 4 ft
under micro-irrigation from the current level of nine height at every 10 ft length. And thus he claims that
million hectares. But it is easier said than done. In not a single drop of water received by the area of his
spite of the fact that almost all states have subsidy filed moves out of it. The result is mind blowing. If
on getting micro-irrigation system, it is flouted by the area in Yavatmal where Sharma’s land is situated,
the lower lever corruption by the related companies gets 100 cm rainfall in one full year, his 7 hectares of
in connivance with agriculture department officials. land receives a total of 70 million litres water. Even
This discourages farmers from going for it. Moreover, if we assume 20 percentof it evaporates, the ground
due to lack of awareness, most of them think that beneath Sharma’s farm gets 56 million litres of water.
micro-irrigation is only for the regions where farmers Sharma claims that half of it, means 28 million litres
don’t have much water availability. To change the of water he uses for farming purpose and rest half
mind set of the producers, the government needs enriches not only his ground water, but also helps in
to rope in private sector along with its own agencies increasing the water table of the adjacent farms.
for successfully running focussed awareness
But depleting ground water is not the only
programmes around benefits of micro-irrigation. The
problem faced by the farmers. Just 130 kms North
farmers should be taught how flood irrigation results West from Yavatmal, there is another block Daryapur
in wastage of water and energy as well as reduce the in Amravati district. Farmers can easily get water just
efficiency of fertilisers. Also, there should be stress at less than 50 ft in this area. But it is of no use to
laid on the need for scheduling of irrigation process them because it is so saline that farmers can’t use it
and said technologies like moisture sensor and other in farming. So, farmers have resorted to farm ponds
software that are available to achieve this aim. in big numbers in this block. Farm ponds are basically
Other than to use the available water an idea to collect rain water in a small part of one’s
judiciously, the farmers also need to be made aware farmland by digging a pond so that he/she could
and trained about conservation of water. There get water for captive usage. So, micro-irrigation,
are many farmers across the country who have farm pond and natural farming could be the way
developed unique models of cultivation where each to move on. In a nutshell, the challenge before us
drop of rain water falling within their farm land is is formidable. Nevertheless, the silver lining is that
preserved. Subhash Sharma, a progressive farmer there are easy remedies available. Only thing we
need is a perfect combination of government’s and
from Yavatmal in Vidarbha, Maharashtra practises
people’s efforts. With all means of communication,
natural farming. Sharma has developed a 5-point
it has to be made a part of national conscience that
technology to preserve the rain water pouring in his
ground water rejuvenation has no option and that it
farmland. The first point is about the natural way of
is needed not only for future generations, but also
farming in which many small insects who live in the
for the present population.
soil work as the carrier of water. Sharma claims that
30 percent of the total water received by the area Footnote
seeps into ground water through millions of these 1 Singh, Dhirendra Kumar and Anil Kumar Singh.
small insects. The second point of the technology is 2002. ‘Groundwater Situation in India: Prob-
called ‘grid-locking’ where grids are made at every lems and Perspective’, International Journal of
Water Resource Development. pp. 563–580.
6–8 feet. Crops are sown on the grids, which hold
the water. The third point is ‘micro-locking’ for the (The writer is Assistant Vice President with
farms where crops can’t be sown on grids. The a national commodity exchange. The views are
fourth point is ‘contour farming’ where green fodder personal, Email: bhaskarbhuwan@gmail.com)

Yoga for Transforming Human Lives

Dr. Neha Gupta
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the Ministry of AYUSH also came up with the guidelines to lift immune system and protect
ourselves from the virus. Along with Ayurveda-based home remedies, the guidelines suggest actively practising yoga/
meditation. Together with physical asanas, yoga also entails teachings for healthy sattvic diet and thought management,
which can support during immunodeficiency.
L
ockdown announced in India to curb COVID- svadhyaya (self-introspection, study of vedas), and
19 has led people to stay longer at home with ishvarapranidhana (surrender to God). Different age
the desire of preventing themselves from groups can do various postures/asanas to move from
catching the disease with better science of living. dis-ease to ease. Controlling of breath and of senses
Consequently, the demand for yoga services has are vital to detoxify body and mind (not trapped
increased manifold along with equivalent rise in by desires) and balance the life force, followed
supply. It may be noted that yoga is not just a set of by practice of dhyana. Many gurus namely Swami
exercises but a healthy lifestyle including meditation, Vivekananda, Paramahansa Yogananda, etc., helped
which is the ultimate goal for unbiased self-
to spread the teachings of yoga even outside India.
realisation. Sage Patanjali declared yoga’s eight limbs
as yama, niyama, asanas, pranayama, pratyahara, Asanas, mudras and pranayama are crucial in
dharana, dhyana, and samadhi (Ashtanga Yoga). classical Hatha Yoga, which gained huge importance
To explain, yogic system begins with regulating our during the 20th century (with its revival efforts by
way of thinking and emotions by following certain Swami Sivananda and his disciples and by Sri Tirumalai
external and internal disciplines: (i) yamas, as self- Krishnamacharya as father of Modern Yoga). Western
restraints or moral rules, cover practice of ahimsa or countries openly embraced this Indian science.
non-violence (not harming anyone), satya (truth), However, descriptive texts on the same emerged
asteya (no stealing), brahmacharya, and aparigraha since 11th century. ‘Ha’ signifies solar/pranic (active)
(non-attachment); and (ii) niyamas, as compliances, energy and ‘tha’ represents lunar/mental energy.
for cleanliness, namely, shaucha, santosha Hatha Yoga is simply their balance to keep the body
(satisfaction, ability to accept), tapas (persistence), healthy with movement of subtle currents that lead

toward spirituality and higher consciousness. As Padmasana, Bhadrasana and Simhasana. Listing of
endorsed by Prime Minister of India at United Nations 84 asanas (even non-seated ones) was attempted by
General Assembly in 2014, the International Day of Hatha Ratnavali text (17th century). As per Gheranda
Yoga (IDY) is celebrated on June 21 every year since Samhita, Shiva had taught 84 lakh asanas as per
2015. During that time, India also set up the Ministry number of species; while 84 were considered as
of AYUSH to promote Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, significant. It offered description of 32 asanas for
Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy, so as to restore the success of mankind: “Siddha, Padma, Bhadra, Mukta,
recognition for ancient Indian knowledge, mainly for Vajra, Svastika, Simha, Gomukha, Vira, and Dhanur;
yoga (dominated by West, largely United States). Mrita, Gupta, Matsya, Matsyendra, Goraksha,
Yoga with meditation are nothing less than Paschimottana, Utkata, and Sankata; Mayura,
essential food and medicine for our body and Kukkuta, Kurma, Uttanakurmaka, Uttanamanduka,
mind as without any side-effects they can naturally Vriksha, Manduka, Garuda, and Vrisha; Shalabha,
strengthen functioning of vital organs, muscles and Makara, Ushtra, Bhujanga, and Yoga.”3 Modern form
bones, improve respiratory and lymphatic systems, also incorporates majority of hatha yoga asanas.
activate central nervous system, help in overcoming This section presents such and more poses as per
hormonal imbalance by stimulating endocrine different categories:
system, manage psycho-somatic disorders and Sitting Asanas: They have meditative qualities
provide high endurance, and enable better blood thereby allowing us to move inwards, and are practised
circulation and oxygen supply. Yoga essentially for long to calm an anxious mind, ease breathing,
means union of body, mind and soul with the power and also help in growth of muscles and lengthening
to improve lives of human beings. The year 2020 of spine with better posture, viz., Sukhasana/Easy
could be the best time to realise yoga’s importance Pose (useful in hip-opening, strengthening nervous,
as a preventive, restorative and healing therapy. hormonal and cardiovascular systems); Padmasana/
Asanas: Types and Relevance Lotus Pose (useful for Kundalini awakening, making
joints/ligaments flexible and strengthening ankles,
“sthirasukham aasanam - Posture is that along with above-mentioned benefits); Baddha
which is firm and pleasant” (Patanjali Yoga Sutras, Konasana/ Butterfly Pose (useful to release stored
verse 46)1 tensions, strengthen genitals, stretch groins, allow
Patanjali explained the meaning of asanas proper functioning of prostate glands, kidney, urinary
as the postures which can be held in relaxed and bladder, etc.). These asanas support women during
steady manner for a lengthier duration. Subsequent menstruation, menopause and pregnancy, and also
commentaries actually listed the following postures: help to reduce heat during summer. Gomukhasana/
“Padmasana, Virasana, Bhadrasana, Svastikasana, Cow Face is seated pose for aid in sciatica and for pain
Dandasana, Sopasraya, Paryanka, Krauñcha (heron)- or stiffness in arms, neck, shoulder, hip joints and back
nisadana, Hasti (elephant)-nisadana, Ustra (camel)- muscles. Vajrasana/Thunderbolt (diamond) Pose is
nisadana, and Sama-samsthana.”2 These were the generally practised post meals for better digestion,
seated postures requiring upright position of spine, with benefits of stimulating pancreatic function,
neck and head. Texts also mentioned that these resolving acidity and issues of urinary infection, and
asanas became yogic only when done comfortably providing flexibility to lower body with healthy sexual
and motionless (not recklessly or in pain). organs. Malasana/Squat Pose reduces weight, heals
It is believed that Adiyogi Lord Shiva disclosed root and sacral chakras (advantageous for women)
the secrets of 84 asanas, which were confirmed and supports organs in abdomen. These poses provide
in the Hatha yogic texts of Shiva Samhita, and relief in constipation and during back, ankles and calf
Goraksha Sataka/Paddhathi. Latter highlighted muscles’ pain.
asanas’ derivations based on 84 lakh living beings Standing Asanas: They strengthen legs with
with each asana reflecting a set of 1 lakh species, proper alignment, teach us grounding as well as
and thus described two postures as special, i.e, balancing, take care of muscles in abdomen region,
heros (siddha-asana) and lotus (kamala-asana). back, buttock, hands, knees, etc., so that we retain
Hatha Yoga Pradipika (15th century) stipulated mobility: (i) Tadasana/Mountain or equal standing
4 asanas as more suitable, namely, Siddhasana, pose: it involves all muscles and joints to activate

by providing more blood to reproductive organs,

relieving menstruation pain and bloating, etc.); as
well as comforting Cat/Cow Pose.
Backward Bending Asanas (Seated/
Standing): They are heart-openers which activate
the heart chakra by removing clogged emotions,
help in stretching and giving strength/elasticity to
abdomen, ribcage, spine, legs, hip muscles, etc., and
revitalise our breath, namely, Chakrasana/Wheel
Pose (provides more blood to brain and supports
nervous system, solves problems related to kidney,
nervous system, improves body posture and height respiratory system, thyroid gland and infertility); Setu
(also useful for women); (ii) Virabhadrasana I, II Bandha Sarvangasana/Bridge Pose (usually practised
and III/(Warrior-I, II, III): these three asanas provide by sports persons - opens and powers chest as well
comfort in chaotic routines, make lungs healthy, as neck, cleans lungs and helps in asthma, prevents
expand our shoulders and chest cavity, rectify heart blockages by carrying blood to arteries,
cramps in lower back muscles or in legs, build core relaxes muscles of heart, back, thighs, calves,
strength, improve digestion by removing extra fat/ etc., and cures leg pain, stiff shoulders, insomnia,
waste, and instil strength, patience and focus; (iii) depression, migraine headaches, fatigue and
Vrksasana/Tree Pose: it includes putting weight on anxiety, prevents varicose veins, also heals root and
one leg so as to develop stability and stay in present thyroid chakras); Ustrasana/Camel Pose (beneficial
moment, heals flat feet and sciatica, opens hip and in case of back pain, injury to spine, and stretches
strengthens inner thighs/groin, etc. (iv) Trikonasana/ front part including chest, diaphragm, lungs, etc.);
Triangle Pose: it is useful as warm-up for overall Purvottanasana/Inclined Plane/Reverse Plank Pose
health, along with above-mentioned benefits, and (gives extreme power and toning to ankles, arms and
makes core and abdomen stronger. wrist, back, shoulder, and heals abdominal organs
mainly intestines).
Forward Bending Asanas (Seated/Standing):
They revitalise back muscles, spine, legs, arms, Inverted Asanas: They are complicated as we
knees, thighs, shoulders, hip-joints, abdomen, turn upside down (can be practised with wall), but
and nervous system, as well as heal throat chakra have immense benefits in terms of balancing the
and digestive system. These include: Adho Mukha body, making mind more focused, increasing memory,
Svanasana/Downward-Facing Dog Pose (also useful bringing new perspective/positive thoughts, reducing
for supplying blood and oxygen towards head, stress hormones’ production, allowing blood
treating piles, and preparing us for inverted asanas); flow towards head/scalp and upper part of lungs
Balasana/Child Pose (lessens stress by supplying (improving respiratory system), keeping skin and hair
blood to brain, heals cervical/spondylitis and gastric healthy, etc. These include: Sirshasana/Headstand
problems, gives rest to hips, chest, stomach and (also stimulates our lymphatic system to increase
muscles around vertebrae of the spine, stimulates immunity and remove toxins, improves eyesight,
Third Eye/Ajna chakra) followed by extension to reduces water retention in legs, strengthens arms
Shashankasana/Rabbit Pose (tones muscles of and shoulders); Sarvangasana/Shoulder Stand (also
abdomen and pelvic regions); Padahastasana/ lengthens spine, resolves cervical and piles, supports
Hand to Foot Pose (inverted pose useful in relieving heart) along with extension as Halasana/Plough
fatigue and heaviness from body, stretching lower Pose (makes shoulders strong, relieves constipation,
back, hamstring and calves, improving upper part’s mends digestion with weight loss, and useful in
blood circulation); Parsvottanasana/Side Stretch diabetes and menopause). Pincha Mayurasana
(balances the body); Kurmasana/Tortoise (advanced (Forearm Balance Pose) and Adho Mukha Vrksasana
pose for body’s flexibility); Paschimottanasana/ (Handstand) are tricky yet healthier ones.
Seated Forward Bend (supports abdominal organs Reclining Asanas in Prone Position (With
by resolving constipation, reduces obesity, helps in Backbends): They strengthen the spine column and
insomnia and depression, improves sexual health fight aches in back and neck, remove constipation

with improved digestion, heal heart chakra, and Scorpion Pose (involves backbend for stimulating
decrease weight, viz., Bhujangasana/Cobra Pose chakras above heart and lessening stress).
(also positively affects kidney, liver and abdomen,
Twist Asanas: They are much easier with light
helps cervical, and energises us with better blood
movement of legs, arms, back, neck, etc. to keep
circulation); Salabhasana/Locust Pose (restores
spine in right order, relieve shoulder pain and hip/
parasympathetic nerves in spinal region, supports
knee joint issues, soothe abdominal organs to keep
frontal part mainly chest and also buttock and thigh
digestion strong and fight constipation. But, one
muscles, helps in sciatica, builds confidence, etc.);
should not haste and be extra careful while twisting.
Dhanurasana/Bow Pose (along with above benefits,
These asanas wring our body and release negative
deals with asthma, diabetes, stiffness in shoulders
blockages and tones spleen, liver, pancreas, kidney,
and upper thighs, and tones adrenal glands); Ardha
etc., such as Ardha Matsyendrasana/Half Fish Pose
Bhekasana/Half Frog Pose (provides relief in hip or
(useful in slipped disc and sciatica) and Jathara
leg pain and is useful for people having long sitting
Parivartanasana/Abdominal Twist (also relaxes back
work-hours, helps in resolving flat feet issue and
muscles); Supta Matsyendrasana/ Supine Spinal Twist
prevents knee injury by strengthening muscles,
(moves out toxins from internal organs and allows
encourages blood flow towards reproductive organs
inflow of fresh blood); and Parivrtta Sukhasana/
and prostate glands); and Chaturanga Dandasana/
Revolved Easy Pose (opens hip and shoulders - for
Four Limbed Staff Pose as a low level plank (helps
beginners).
in arm balancing asanas by giving strength to
arms, wrists, ankles, back, core, etc.) along with Reclining Asanas in Supine Position: They
Phalakasana/High Plank Pose (synchronises lower strengthen core and aid in daily activities, viz.,
and upper body portions) provide stamina, resolve Matsyasana/Fish Pose (increases lungs’ capacity,
insomnia, make bone tissues healthier, help in better mainly for asthma patients, relaxes shoulder,
respiration, and activate Solar plexus/Manipura lumbar muscles and cervical, stimulates thyroid,
chakra by generating heat. pituitary and pineal glands which secrete melatonin
hormone); Navasana/ Boat Pose (nurtures abdominal
Note that Surya Namaskar is an asanas muscles, hip flexors and helps in digestion,
collection with 12 steps: Pranamasana (Prayer Pose: increases will power, etc.); Pavanamuktasana/Wind-
1st, 12th), Hastauttanasana (Raised Arms Pose: 2nd, Releasing Pose (releases gas and helps bloating and
11th), Padahastasana (3rd, 10th), Ashwa Sanchalan constipation, relaxes intestines and lower back, and
asana (Equestrian Pose: 4th, 9th), Dandasana (5th), heals reproductive system, tones legs); Savasana/
Ashtanga Namaskara (Eight Points Salute: 6th), Corpse Pose (done at start and end of yoga session
Bhujangasana (7th), and Parvatasana (Mountain as meditation – gives rest to mind and body, helps
Pose: 8th). in regulating blood pressure, sleep disorders, and
Arm Balancing Asanas: They strengthen the preventing lifestyle diseases); Supta Vajrasana/
upper body and core (stretch and tones full body – Reclining Thunderbolt Pose (eases stomach pain,
mainly arms and wrists as they hold body’s weight, useful for women health, helps in spiritual growth);
shoulder, abdomen, lower back, legs, hamstrings, and Supta Virasana/Reclining Hero Pose (stretches
knees, ankles, biceps, triceps, muscles around lower body, is hip-opener and bends knees to reduce
spinal cord, etc. and gives them required flexibility fatigue).
and blood flow) and help in deeper concentration/ But guidance is required for asanas performance
dharana. These include Bakasana/Crane Pose; (preferably in morning) by taking care of precautions in
Kakasana/Crow Pose (helpful for those who sit case of high blood pressure, migraine, menstruation,
long on computer; gives lightness and activates surgery, pregnancy, back/neck pain, injury in spine/
solar plexus); Kukkudasana/ Fowl Pose; Pincha knee/ankle. One needs to protect wrist, eyes and head
Mayurasana; Phalakasana; Vasisthasana/Side during inverted/arm balancing poses.
Plank Pose (balancing on one arm); Mayurasana/
Peacock Pose (useful to cleanse toxins, massages Dealing with Depression and Anxiety
reproductive system, makes digestive system strong, Evidences exist to show positive effects of
heals imbalances in navel, helps in case of piles, practising yoga asanas, pranayama and meditation
diabetes, etc.), followed by difficult Vrschikasana/ on improving mental and psychological health. It

enhanced digestion by generating necessary heat

in the body; followed by Nadi Shodhan/Anulom-
vilom, which cleans nasal passage/purifies nadis
and balances left and right nostril breathing which
are connected to our brain; Sheetali or Shitkari,
which cools/lower down pitta dosh and body's
temperature in summers; and Brahmari, which
includes humming bee sound during exhalation
thereby creating vibrations in brain and improving
memory. Conscious practice of diaphragmatic
becomes highly crucial to utilise yogic techniques in breathing (stomach moves out when inhale and
easy-to-do manner during pandemic, when there goes in when exhale) and left-nostril breathing can
is rising fear and insecurities among all the human aid in shifting to parasympathetic mode, thereby
beings (i.e., uncertainty of how long the virus will last, preventing blood pressure, diabetes, etc.
of economic slowdown causing job losses, along with Healing with Nature: As widely known, yoga/
feelings of boredom, sadness and loneliness owing to meditation helps us to connect better with ourselves
persistent social distancing and work from home). (inner nature) as well as with Universe. Oneness
Pranayama and Meditation for Stress: ‘Prana’ is eventually created among all the beings, which
means life force (our breath) and ‘ayama’ is is yoga’s essence. If you notice, many asanas are
exercising/extension, such that pranayama is exercise inspired by flora and fauna, viz., fish pose, butterfly
of breathing. The technique helps in strengthening pose, tree pose, lotus pose, etc. This indicates
nervous, respiratory and lymphatic systems. that humans cannot survive without maintaining
Meditation/dhyana is a method of slowing down the harmony with nature, where even animals and
wave of thoughts (developing concentration) and plants have lessons for us, viz., to be flexible, able
feeling relaxed. These can be our weapons to fight to bend/twist easily, stand firm during adversities,
against viruses and depression. attain balanced and healthy lifestyle, be joyful and
not lured by materialistic world, etc.
Notably, sympathetic nervous system makes
us active with fight-or-flight approach, while Yoga can be more beneficial if practised in clear
parasympathetic one lets us rest and digest. But outdoor surroundings, which can enable greater
continuous stress mostly keeps us in sympathetic influx of oxygen into our lungs and provide mental
mode thereby not allowing us to sleep well. This healing and relaxation. This is the reason why people
adversely affects immunity and brain functioning, go on vacations to hilly places. However, lockdown
but yoga can benefit under proper guidance. To has too reduced the pollution level in cities with
elaborate, in simpler terms: (i) Meditation can be easily visible blue sky, clean water bodies, vibrant
done in various ways depending on what suits each chirping of birds, etc. The need is to use this period
one, viz., focus on inward and outward movement effectively to heal ourselves and nature, i.e., offer
of breath; recite any mantra such as AUM; focus gratitude to nature; observe/feel the greenery
on Anahata/heart chakra or on Ajna chakra which around by sitting in balcony, doing yoga with open
is located between the eyebrows (area where windows; meditate on how air touches your skin
most nerves' endings meet); sit in silence and just and body parts and on how breath goes in and out;
observe every thought without judgement; connect listen to birds by actively engaging all sense organs;
with higher consciousness/supreme power or God and stare at sky/stars with palms facing up to receive
using visualising techniques; and do yoga nidra. (ii) more energy. This will assist us in maintaining
We should practice pranayama daily (at least few connection with the five elements, i.e., air, water,
rounds) to channelise prana flow through energy space, fire and earth. Further, drinking more water,
channels in our body called nadis. Pranayama bathing regularly, and watering the plants, along
includes: Bhastrika, which calms down our mind with deep breathing can help. Walking bare foot on
and enables proper blood flow through deep nostril grass or feeling the earth under feet even at home
inhalations and exhalations; Kapalbhati, which can heal root chakra which deals with fear, leg pain,
removes toxins by forced exhalations and allows diarrhoea, constipation, etc.

Yoga and Immunity duration of dhyana, etc. (viz. at 6-7 AM, repeat telecast
at 8-9 AM, even post-IDY). Greater advertising and
Immune system largely consists of white blood
speeches by experts can provide required boost to
cells and lymphocyte cells that protects body when
yoga practice. In fact, promotion of AYUSH system is
pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, etc. enter. Yoga
improves cells’ functioning and activates lymphatic already Government’s rising priority (with ongoing
system, as well as decreases stress and anxiety trials) to find a new treatment for virus.
levels, which are major factors behind dampening As lockdown may relax and offices/colleges
immunity. Number of scientific studies (mainly using open up, yoga should no longer be treated just an
experimental approach) show that practice of yoga option (as stand by to gym). Loss of jobs/salaries
and mindfulness/transcendental meditation reduces may be inevitable, but we should at least not lose
cortisol by bringing in harmony between body our mental and physical health. Also, substitution
and mind, regulates cytokine levels and immune of processed foods by homemade ones, as taught
responses, eases inflammation mediators, maintains under yogic lifestyle, can prevent further damage
homeostasis and production of endocrine hormones, to immune system. Fear may continue to exist, but
prevents autonomic changes and damage to cellular yoga can spread optimism and save us by giving a
immunity especially during stress, increases mucosal healthier alternative path.
immune functioning, encourages positive impact
Footnotes
on signs of immune function such as Natural Killer
cell activity, count of B-lymphocytes, etc.4 Since the 1 Vivekananda, S. (n.d.). Patanjali Yoga Sutras:
outbreak of COVID-19, the Ministry of AYUSH also Sanskrit text with Transliteration, Translation &
came up with the guidelines to lift immune system Commentary.
and protect ourselves from the virus. Along with 2 Hariharananda, A. (1983). Yoga Philosophy of
Ayurveda-based home remedies, the guidelines Patanjali. USA: State University of New York Press.
suggest actively practising yoga/meditation at least
3 Mallinson, J. (2004). The Gheranda Samhita: The
for 30 minutes a day.
original Sanskrit and an English translation. USA:
Together with physical asanas, yoga also Yoga Vidya.
entails teachings for healthy sattvic diet and
4 See journal articles: Eda, N., Ito, H., Shimizu,
thought management, which can support
K., Suzuki, S., Lee, E., & Akama, T. (2017). Yoga
during immunodeficiency. Constant panic and
stretching for improving salivary immune function
prolong sitting/inactivity are not recommended
and mental stress in middle-aged and older
during pandemic. Some yoga poses for strong
adults. Journal of Women & Aging, 30(3), 227-
immunity and rebalancing of body’s defence 241; Gopal, A., Mondal, S., Gandhi, A., Arora, S., &
mechanism even post-COVID are Sukhasana, Ardha Bhattacharjee, J. (2011). Effect of integrated yoga
Matsyendrasana, Matsyasana, Bhujangasana, practices on immune responses in examination
Trikonasana, Padahastasana, Balasana, Ustrasana, stress – A preliminary study. International Journal
Utkatasana/Chair Pose, Setu Bandhasana, Halasana, of Yoga, 4(1), 26-32; Infante, J. R., Peran, F., Rayo,
Dhanurasana, Tadasana, Vrksasana, Adho Mukha J. I., Serrano, J., Domínguez, M. L., Garcia, L.,
Svanasana, etc. Pranayama is must to strengthen the Duran, C., & Roldan, A. (2014). Levels of immune
power of lungs. Abdomen breathing reinforces gut/ cells in transcendental meditation practitioners.
gastrointestinal tract that holds about 70 percent of International Journal of Yoga, 7(2), 147-151;
our immunity. Venkatesh, H.N., Ravish, H., Silvia, C.W.D., &
Way To-And Post-Idy 2020 Srinivas, H. (2020). Molecular signature of the
IDY-2020 is round the corner, and are we better immune response to yoga therapy in stress-
related chronic disease conditions: An insight.
prepared this year? During lockdown, I have seen
International Journal of Yoga, 13(1), 9-17.
people practising asanas/meditation at their home
by using online videos uploaded by yoga institutes (The author is a yoga practitioner, kathak
or by attending private yoga classes. Given this, dancer and an international trade economist by
the Ministry of AYUSH can now launch proper yoga profession, with PhD from IIT Delhi, and currently
sessions on TV channel using own Common Yoga working as Fellow at a Delhi-based economic think-
Protocol with enrichments of Surya Namaskar, more tank. Email: nehag.iitd@gmail.com)

Participatory Irrigation Management

Souvik Ghosh and Usha Das
Participatory Irrigation Management or PIM refers to the participation of water users, the farmers, in the management of the
irrigation systems. It ensures the involvement of irrigation users in all aspects of irrigation management including planning,
design, construction, operation, maintenance, financing, governance and monitoring and evaluation of the irrigation systems,
at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels. PIM has resulted an increase in irrigation intensity, cropping intensity and yield
with spatial and temporal variations.
I
rrigation is critical to agricultural
growth and development, bringing a
green revolution and self-sufficiency
in food production in the country. It has
always been emphasized due to its yield-
augmenting impact and treated as one of
the priority areas of country’s agricultural
development strategy. Irrigation
development in India has been quite
remarkable with an increase in irrigation
potential from 22.6 million hectares in
1950–1951 to about 123 million hectares
by 2007 including 42 million hectares
under major and medium irrigation
projects, 14 and 67 million hectares under
minor surface and minor groundwater
lift projects, respectively, making it a world leader In search of the solutions of aforesaid problems,
in irrigation.1 Irrigated agriculture is about 48 per farmers’ participation in irrigation management has
cent of net sown area (net irrigated area 68 million taken the center stage and the irrigators who were
hectares) and contributes to 60 per cent of India’s considered as beneficiaries are now considered
foodgrain production.2 partners in planning, development, operation and
Phases in irrigation development and maintenance of irrigation systems. The National
management in India reveal several paradigm shifts: Water Policies of India (1987, 2002) have emphasized
1950–1970 is the era of capital-intensive expansion on farmers’ participation in irrigation management
of irrigation, 1970–1980 is the era of irrigation based on the concept of people’s management of
improvement, and from late 1980s until present is the developmental infrastructures that requires local
era of reform. The central challenge facing irrigated solution to local problems affecting them. Most
agriculture today and in the foreseeable future is per of the states in India have been implementing the
drop more crop.3 The problems in irrigation sector in Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) reform
India include low irrigation efficiency (30–35 percent), and transferring the irrigation management to Water
deteriorating physical structures, inadequate User Associations (WUAs) with a view to provide
maintenance, low cost recovery, under-utilisation equitable, timely and assured irrigation.
(74 percent) of created potential, uncontrolled water
delivery, tail-end water deprivation, seepage loss,
What is PIM
siltation, waterlogging, and soil salinity. Inequitable PIM refers to the participation of water users,
and unpredictable water supply among the farmers the farmers, in the management of the irrigation
over space and time lead to the injudicious use of systems. It ensures the involvement of irrigation
water in the irrigation commands and increase in users in all aspects of irrigation management
inequity within the same unit of command area. including planning, design, construction, operation,

maintenance, financing, governance and monitoring and the irrigation department. The jurisdiction of a
and evaluation of the irrigation systems at the WUA is in between 500 to 750 ha preferably under
primary, secondary and tertiary levels. Participation a minor project covering one or more villages. A
of beneficiaries facilitates the optimal upkeep of minor irrigation project (command area up to 2000
irrigation system and effective utilisation of irrigation ha) is managed by one WUA, a single tier system.
water with greater participation of the farmers, The medium irrigation project (command area more
more investments in the irrigation infrastructure than 2000 ha to 10000 ha) is managed by a two-tier
and other irrigated agriculture related services will system, having WUAs at minor level and an apex
be need based and hence more effective. In many body at project level. In a major irrigation project
places, PIM reforms lead to Irrigation Management (command area more than 10000 ha), it is a three-
Transfer (IMT). IMT is the full or partial transfer of tier system, the WUA at minor level, a federation or a
responsibility and authority for the governance, distributary committee at branch canal/distributary
management and financing of irrigation systems level and an apex body at the project level. The WUAs
from the government to WUAs. In India, IMT is at minor level are federated at the distributary level
mostly followed in case of minor irrigation projects. to co-ordinate the functions of WUAs.
Rationale of PIM WUA is a registered body and all farmers in its
jurisdiction command area become the members.
Performance of government - managed
Managing committee of WUA consists of a president,
irrigation systems has been sub-optimal because
vice president, treasurer and secretary in addition to
of deterioration of physical infrastructure due to
at least five members. State Irrigation, Agriculture,
deferred maintenance, poor water service delivery,
lack of accountability, poor incentives (financial) and Command Area Development and Revenue
weak institutional arrangements for infrastructure Departments also nominate one officer from each
management. PIM has emerged as an important department for inclusion in the managing committee
approach for improving the performance of the to providing help in its functioning.
irrigated agricultural sector, including productivity The presidents of all WUAs are the members
and financial and physical sustainability. of the distributary committee and these members
As water delivery function influences the may elect their president. The state departments
profitability of agricultural operations due to increase may also nominate their officers to the distributary
in irrigated area, cropping intensities and/or crop committee.
diversity, yields and economic returns, farmers are The distributary committees of the project
interested for participation in irrigation management. may be further federated into the project-level
Thus, a consensus has emerged regarding WUAs to committee called the apex body. The main function
be the best strategy for long term sustainability of of the apex body would be to suggest improvement
irrigated agriculture. Other reasons for promoting in the operation and maintenance of the irrigation
PIM include reduction of the burden of costs, system, environment of the area and rationalisation
staff requirements and technical or management of water supply to the users other than irrigation.
problems faced by governments, farmers’ access The presidents of the distributary committee are the
and control on operation, maintenance, water members of the apex body. These members elect
delivery and fixation of water rate, improvements their president.
in the agricultural productivity and economic
profitability of irrigation systems. PIM forms a strong Legal Framework of PIM
basis for collective action in related areas, such as PIM remains the main institutional solution for
adoption of modern agricultural practices and input
irrigation management problems in the developing
management. Establishment of WUAs builds social
world and is being implemented in nearly 60
capital through improved leadership and capacity
building.4 countries.5 In India, adoption of PIM has been slow as
compared to some other countries. Different models
Structure of WUAs of PIM are being tried in the country based on the
Structural development, size and organisation state’s water resources, irrigation development, and
of WUA used to be at the convenience of farmers social and political environment.

Union Government plays the role of a Table 1: Position of enactment for PIM in different
facilitator but the actual implementation of PIM is states of India
done by the states as water is a State subject. It is Sl. Name of Position of issue/ amendment of
important for creation and successful functioning No. State Irrigation Act
of any organisation to have adequate legal backup.
1. Andhra Enacted the Andhra Pradesh
In India, 16 states viz. Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Pradesh Farmers Management of Irrigation
Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Systems Act, March, 1997
Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Nagaland, Odisha, 2. Assam The Assam Irrigation Water Users
Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh Act, 2004
have either enacted exclusive legislation or amended 3. Bihar The Bihar Irrigation, Flood
their Irrigation Acts for involvement of farmers in Management and Drainage Rules,
irrigation management (Table 1). 2003 under the Bihar Irrigation
Act, 1997
The states, which are yet to do the enactment,
follow various approaches for implementation 4. Chhattisgarh Enacted the Chhattisgarh Sinchai
Prabandhan Me Krishkon Ki
of PIM. However, states that enacted PIM follow Bhagidari Adhiniyam, 2006
almost similar approach. Andhra Pradesh has
5. Goa Enacted the Goa Command Area
done the enactment (Andhra Pradesh Farmers’ Development Act, 1997 (Goa Act
Management of Irrigation System Act) in 1997 as 27 of 1997)
the first state of India. These enabling laws and/or 6. Gujarat Gujarat Water Users Participation
bylaws ensure formation of WUAs for undertaking Management Act, 2007
management of irrigation, participation of farmers 7. Karnataka Promulgated an Ordinance on
in irrigation management within the operational June 7 , 2000 for amendment of
area of WUA, entrusting legal rights to WUA to the existing Karnataka Irrigation
receive irrigation water and distribute the same Act 1957
among the members in the operational area, 8. Kerala Enacted the Kerala Irrigation and
empowering WUA in developing a suitable crop Water Conservation Act, 2003
pattern, fixation of water rates for different crops 9. Madhya Enacted the Madhya Pradesh
on season-wise area basis, collection of water Pradesh Sinchai Prabandhan Me Krishkon
Ki Bhagidari Adhiniyam, 1999
charges from the farmers for utilisation of irrigation
during September 1999
water, generation of resources from donor agencies
10. Maharashtra The Maharashtra Management of
other than the water charges/maintenance grant, Irrigation Systems by Farmers Act,
resolving conflicts among stakeholders, etc.6 2005
In addition of the bylaws, another important 11. Nagaland Nagaland Farmers Participation in
legal document is the transfer agreement or the Management of Irrigation
Systems Act, 2013
memorandum of understanding between the WUA
and the irrigation department. It includes the terms 12. Odisha Enacted the Orissa Pani Panchayat
Act, 2002
and conditions of irrigation system transfer, area
13. Rajasthan Passed the Rajasthan Sinchai
of operation of WUA, the details of the irrigation
Pranali Ke Prabandh Me Krishkon
system with its present condition and the existing Ki Sahabhagita Adhiniyam, 2000
structures with their technical details, the duties and 14. Sikkim Sikkim Irrigation Water Tax 2002
responsibilities of irrigation department and WUA, and Sikkim Irrigation Water Tax
method of operation and maintenance, supply of (Amendment) Act, 2008
irrigation water at agreed time and quantities in 15. Tamil Nadu Enacted the Tamil Nadu Farmers
different crop seasons. The agreement used to be Management of Irrigation
valid for a specified period; however, on satisfactory Systems Act, 2000
performances the agreement may be renewed for a 16. Uttar Enacted the Uttar Pradesh
further mutually agreed period. The conditions for Pradesh Irrigation Management Act, 2009
termination of agreement are also indicated in the (Source: Ministry of Water Resources, Govt. of India http://mowr.
agreement. gov.in/sites/default/files/CADWM_Status_of_PIM_0.pdf)

Progress of PIM Table 2: Progress of PIM in Different States of India

PIM in India has followed two approaches: Sl. Name of State Number Of Area Covered
legislative and motivational. Andhra Pradesh and No. WUAs- (Thousand-
Madhya Pradesh first enacted legislation and Formed hectare)
opted for fast and extensive introduction of PIM. 1 Andhra Pradesh 10884 4179.25
Maharashtra and Gujarat adopted motivational 2 Arunachal 43 10.97
strategy followed by legislation. So far, 84,779 Pradesh
WUAs have been formed in various states covering 3 Assam 847 95.02
an area of 17.84 million hectares under various
4 Bihar 80 209.47
commands of irrigation schemes (Table 2). One-
5 Chhattisgarh 1324 1244.56
time functional grant of Rs. 1200 per hectare shared
by the Centre, State and Farmers in the ratio of 6 Goa 84 9.54
45:45:10, respectively, is being paid to the WUAs 7 Gujarat 8278 662.99
as an incentive, the interest from which is used for 8 Haryana 8490 1616.27
maintenance. Apart from this, an amount of Rs. 3 9 Himachal 1173 140.56
lakh (60 percent - Central: 40 percent - State) is being Pradesh
provided to each WUA as one-time Infrastructure 10 J&K 383 32.794
Grant for creation of suitable facilities.7
11 Jharkhand 0 0
Command Area Development and Water 12 Karnataka 2787 1418.66
Management (CADWM) work is being implemented 13 Kerala 4398 191.22
in 99 prioritised Accelerated Irrigation Benefit
14 MadhyaPradesh 2062 1999.64
Projects (AIBP) under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai
Yojana (PMKSY)/Har Khet Ko Pani (HKKP). Under the 15 Maharashtra 2959 1156.22
restructured CADWM Programme, more emphasis 16 Manipur 69 29.4
is being given to participatory approach; thus, 17 Meghalaya 159 20.17
payment of central assistance to state is linked 18 Mizoram 390 18.23
with the formation of WUAs. As on April, 2016 a
19 Nagaland 24 3.44
total of 4223 WUAs had been created. About 1250
WUAs are formed in states of Assam, Gujarat, 20 Odisha 20794 1757.71
Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, 21 Punjab 4845 610.29
Maharashtra, Odisha and Punjab during 2016–17. 22 Rajasthan 1994 1144.45
Again during 2017–18, another 1372 WUAs had 23 Sikkim 0 0
been formed in states of Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh,
24 TamilNadu 1910 935.664
Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra,
Manipur, Odisha, Punjab and Rajasthan. Further in 25 Telangana 0 0
2018–19 (upto second quarter) a total of 890 WUAs 26 Tripura 0 0
were formed in states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, 27 UttarPradesh 802 318.69
Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, 28 Uttarakhand 0 0
Odisha and Telangana. Thus, a total of 7735 WUAs
29 West Bengal 10000 37
have been formed.8
Total 84779 17842.208
PIM has resulted an increase in irrigation
(Source: Ministry of Water Resources, Govt. of India http://mowr.
intensity, cropping intensity and yield with spatial gov.in/sites/default/files/CADWM_Status_of_PIM_0.pdf)
and temporal variations. However, it is debated that
the shift from government managed to farmers’ irrigation systems can be more productive than the
managed irrigation system may be one of the rice producing irrigation systems. Effect is found to be
contributing but not the only factor responsible for varied between sources of irrigation as well as across
better agriculture performance. Non-rice producing the command areas of different irrigation systems.

Women Participation  The earning is more than the expenditure funds

available as and when required
Representation of women in the WUAs at all
 It has some reserve fund at its disposal
levels has been brought in the guidelines issued by
the Ministry of Water Resources. Accordingly, many  Ensured supply of irrigation water from the
states have amended the enactment with respect to system
implementation of PIM. Considering the importance  Effective operation plan of the project
of women in terms of their significant contribution in  Equitable distribution of water
the agricultural labour force, participation of women  Improvement in recovery of water charges from
in management of water resources is ensured the farmers
through their membership in the WUAs. Some states  Recovery of water charges for using other source
have already implemented it; for example, in Madhya of water in the operational area
Pradesh, all farm owners, be it men or women, are
rightful members of the outlet committees in WUAs.  Willingness of the farmers and irrigation agency
to make it a success
Where there are no women members, at least one
woman from the area must be taken even if she The issues of rights are beginning to enter
is not a land owner. Further, at least one woman the debate on Indian irrigation that needs a lot of
shall be nominated to the Governing Body of the attention. Poor people’s relative benefit is typically
Association. depending on allocation of water rights, which is
in proportion to land size rather than, for example,
Way Forward on the basis of an equal quantity of water to every
International Commission on Irrigation and farm households. The concept of WUA does not
consider other uses of water (domestic, industrial
Drainage (ICID) Working Group on Institutional and
use, etc.) and also the needs of landless people in
Organizational Aspects organised an international
irrigation command area that hampers the social
symposium with the theme ‘Global Review of
support and accentuates rural inequity. Without
Institutional Reforms in the Irrigation Sector for
proper education and interface with all categories
Sustainable Agricultural Water Management’ including of farmers, there will not be widespread acceptance
WUAs, during the 23rd ICID Congress (8–14 October to the idea of farmers assuming management and
2017) in Mexico City. The symposium deliberated maintenance responsibilities beyond the on-farm
upon legal framework and organisational structure level. Collective efforts by all concerned are required
including WUAs for water supply services, PIM and for successful and effective PIM to pave the way
management transfer approaches and conditions for creating virtuous circle in irrigation and farm
for successful irrigation and drainage, Public-Private sector (Fig. 1 on page no 45).
Partnership (PPP) in irrigation and drainage operation
and maintenance towards sustainable irrigated Conclusion
agricultural water management. Based on this, a Water forms the backbone for all the future
review on institutional reforms in the irrigation sector endeavours to achieve the vision of food security.
was done in India besides other countries. Despite Water management is by nature beyond the work of
the diverse geography and institutional frameworks individuals and thus collective effort by all farmers
in irrigation sector, food security remains a major concerned is required for successful management.
concern in all the countries and regions reviewed. The Farmers’ participation in irrigation management has
formation and functioning of WUAs, ageing irrigation taken the center stage and the irrigators who were
and drainage infrastructure and its operation and considered as beneficiaries are now considered
management remain to be the major institutional partners in planning, development, operation
and PPP challenges for sustainable agricultural water and maintenance of irrigation systems. Transfer
management in the immediate future. of irrigation management responsibilities from
government agencies to farmers is now an important
Water Users’ Associations like any other policy that has resulted variable impact over space
organization may sustain only when: and time. The most ideal situation may be when

the demand of taking over

PIM
of management of irrigation
system comes strongly from the Transition
Farmer’s
farmers.
Farmer’s
Dissatisfaction Satisfaction
and Low and Revived
Recovery cost Recovery cost
Footnotes Low Yield

Increased
Yield and
1 ��
MoSPI��
.��
2010��
. ‘Irrigation Infra- and Low
Income
Enhanced
Income
structure’, Infrastructure Statis- Poor Sustainable
tics 2010: First Issue. Ministry Irrigation
System and
Irrigation
System and
of Statistics and Programme Service Service
Implementation, Government Virtuous

Vicious
of India. Available at: http:// circle of circle of
Irrigation in Irrigation in
mospi.nic.in/sites/default/ India India
files/reports_and_publication/ Institutional
strengthening for better
cso_research_and_publica- Participation and
accountability
tion_unit/Infrastructure_Sta-
tistics/infra_stat_2010/11.
ch_irrigation.pdf
2 DAC & FW. 2018. Annual Re-
port 2017-18. Department of
Agriculture, Cooperation &
Farmers Welfare, Ministry of
Agriculture & Farmers Welfare,
Government of India Krishi
Bhawan, New Delhi. pp. Avail-
able at: http://agricoop.nic.in/
sites/default/files/Krishi%20
AR%202017-18-1%20for%20
web.pdf
3 MoWR, RD and GR. 2018. An-
nual Report 2017-18. Minis-
try of Water Resources, River
Development and Ganga Re- Fig. Fig.1:1:PIM-
PIM-Potential
Potential Option in Transforming Vicious Cycle to Virtuous
Option in Transforming Vicious Cycle to Virtuous Cycle in
juvenation, Government of Cycle in Irrigation Sector
Irrigation Sector
India, New Delhi. Available at:
http://mowr.gov.in/sites/default/files/Annual_Re- er), 222: 48-61). Available at: http://mowr.gov.in/
Conclusion
port_MoWR_2017-18.pdf sites/default/files/CADWM_Status_of_PIM_0.pdf
4 FAO. 2007. ‘Irrigation Management Water Transfer: World- for allMoWR,
forms the backbone 7 the futureRDendeavours
and GR. 2019. Annual
to achieve Report
the vision 2018-19.
of food security.
wide Efforts and Results’, FAO Water
Water Reports is32.
management
Ministry of Water Resources, River
by nature beyond the work of individuals and thus collective effort by
Development
Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Na- and Ganga Rejuvenation, Government of India, New
all farmers concerned is required for successful management. Farmers’ participation in
tions. Available at: http://www.fao.org/3/a1520e/ Delhi. Available at: http://mowr.gov.in/sites/default/
irrigation management has takenfiles/Annual_Report_MoWR_2018-19.pdf
the center stage and the irrigators who were considered as
a1520e00.pdf
8 Ibid.
5 Ibid.
6 Ministry of Water Resources, Govt. of India. 2007. (Souvik Ghosh is Professor & Ex-Head, Department
Annual Report of Ministry of Water Resources, of Agricultural Extension, Institute of Agriculture, Visva-
Govt. of India, New Delhi (cross referred from: Bharati University, Sriniketan, West Bengal, Email:
Ghosh, S., Kolady, D.E., Das, U., Gorain, S., Srivas- souvik.ghosh@visva-bharati.ac.in, Usha Das is with
tava, S.K. and Mondal, B. 2019. Spatio-Temporal Department of Agricultural Communication, G.B. Pant
Variations in Effects of Participatory Irrigation University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar,
Management (PIM) Reform in India: A Panel Data Udham Singh Nagar, Uttarakhand, Email: usha24.das@
Analysis. Agricultural Water Management (Elsevi- gmail.com)

Aatmanirbhar Bharat
Measures to Strengthen Agriculture Infrastructure Logistics, Capacity Building, Governance and
Administrative Reforms for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Processing Sectors
Union Finance & Corporate Affairs
Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman in
her press conference announced on 15
May 2020 the 3rd Tranche of measures
to strengthen Infrastructure Logistics,
Capacity Building, Governance and
Administrative Reforms for Agriculture,
Fisheries and Food Processing Sectors.
Outlining what the Government has
done over the last 2 months, the Finance
Minister said, during the lockdown
period Minimum Support Price (MSP)
purchases of more than Rs. 74,300
crore, PM KISAN fund transfer of Rs.
18,700 crore and PM Fasal Bima Yojana
claim payment of Rs. 6,400 crore have
been made.
The Finance Minister announced the
following measures:
1. Rs. 1 lakh crore Agri Infrastructure Fund for farm-gate infrastructure for farmers
Financing facility of Rs. 1,00,000 crore will be provided for funding Agriculture Infrastructure
Projects at farm-gate & aggregation points (Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies, Farmers
Producer Organizations, Agriculture entrepreneurs, Start-ups, etc.). Impetus for development of farm-
gate & aggregation point, affordable and financially viable Post Harvest Management infrastructure.
Fund will be created immediately.
2. Rs. 10,000 crore scheme for Formalisation of Micro Food Enterprises (MFE)
A Scheme promoting the vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi: ‘Vocal for Local with
Global Outreach’ will be launched to help 2 lakh MFEs who need technical upgradation to attain
FSSAI food standards, build brands and marketing. Existing micro food enterprises, Farmer Producer
Organisations, Self Help Groups and Cooperatives to be supported. The focus will be on women and
SC/ST owned units and those in Aspirational districts and a cluster-based approach (e.g. Mango in UP,
Tomato in Karnataka, Chilli in Andhra Pradesh, Orange in Maharashtra etc.) will be followed.
3. Rs. 20,000 crore for fisherman through Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana
(PMMSY)
The Government will launch the PMMSY for integrated, sustainable, inclusive development of
marine and inland fisheries. Rs 11,000 crore for activities in Marine, Inland fisheries and Aquaculture
and Rs. 9000 crore for Infrastructure such as Fishing Harbours, Cold chain, Markets etc., shall be
provided. Cage Culture, Seaweed farming, Ornamental Fisheries as well as New Fishing Vessels,
Traceability, Laboratory Network etc., will be key activities. There will be provisions of Ban Period
Support to fishermen (during the period fishing is not permitted), Personal & Boat Insurance. This
will lead to additional fish production of 70 lakh tonnes over 5 years, employment to over 55 lakh

persons and doubling of the exports to Rs

1,00,000 crore. The focus will be on
islands, Himalayan States, North-east and
Aspirational Districts.
4. National Animal Disease Control
Programme
National Animal Disease Control
Programme for Foot and Mouth Disease
(FMD) and Brucellosis launched with total
outlay of Rs. 13,343 crore to ensure 100%
vaccination of cattle, buffalo, sheep, goat
and pig population (total 53 crore animals)
for Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and
for brucellosis. Till date, 1.5 crore cows &
buffaloes tagged and vaccinated.
5. Animal Husbandry Infrastructure

Development Fund - Rs. 15,000
crore
An Animal Husbandry Infrastructure
Development Fund of Rs. 15,000 crore will be set up, with an aim to support private investment in
dairy processing, value addition and cattle feed infrastructure. Incentives will be given for establishing
plants for export of niche products.
6. Promotion of Herbal Cultivation: Outlay of Rs. 4,000 crore
The National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB) has supported 2.25 lakh hectare area under
cultivation of medicinal plants. Area of 10,00,000 hectare will be covered under Herbal cultivation in
next two years with outlay of Rs. 4,000 crore. This will lead to Rs. 5,000 crore income generation for
farmers. There will be network of regional mandis for Medicinal Plants. NMPB will bring in the area of
800 hectare by developing a corridor of medicinal plants along the banks of Ganga.
7. Beekeeping Initiatives – Rs 500 crore
Government will implement a scheme for:
a. Infrastructure development related to Integrated Beekeeping Development Centres, collection,
marketing and storage centres, post harvest & value addition facilities etc;
b. Implementation of standards & developing traceability system;
c. Capacity building with thrust on women;
d. Development of quality nucleus stock and bee breeders.
This will lead to increase in income for 2 lakh beekeepers and quality honey will reach the consumers.
8. From ‘TOP’ to TOTAL – Rs. 500 crore
“Operation Greens” run by Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MOFPI) will be extended from
tomatoes, onion and potatoes to ALL fruit and vegetables. The Scheme would provide 50% subsidy on
transportation from surplus to deficient markets, 50% subsidy on storage, including cold storages and
will be launched as pilot for the next 6 months and will be extended and expanded. This will lead to
better price realisation to farmers, reduced wastages, affordability of products for consumers.

Irrigation Projects
Laxmi Devi
The government has put in place a funding mechanism through NABARD for providing loans towards central as well as
state share for completion of the identified irrigation projects. The government in its 2016 Budget gave a strong push on
increasing irrigation coverage and made major financial outlays for creating new irrigation infrastructure in the country. It
had announced that of the roughly 150 then-ongoing irrigation projects under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme
(AIBP) under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), 99 would be expedited and completed by December 2019.
O
ver dependence on rainfed agriculture has Total requirement of funds for completion of the
always been a challenge for the country’s identified 99 projects was estimated at Rs 77,595
farm production. The increasing gap crore (Rs 48,546 crore for project works and Rs
between irrigation potential created, through major 29,049 crore for CADWM works) with Central
and minor projects, and the actual usage is affecting Assistance (CA) of Rs 31,342 crore.
the country’s crop yields. Substantial agricultural
The arrangement of funds for Central share/
area remains dependent on monsoon, which
Assistance (CA) was made through NABARD as per
has grown erratic in recent years due to climate
year-wise requirements to be paid back in 15 years’
change, causing distress to farmers. However,
the government has made efforts to expand the time keeping a grace period of 3 years. Further, the
irrigation network. state governments, if required, were also allowed
to borrow funds from NABARD for the state share.
It may be noted that about 80 percent of the
current water use is drawn by agriculture. Irrigated That apart, NABARD was allowed to raise
area accounts for nearly 49 percent of the 140 zero cost bonds, the interest rate of which would
million hectares of agricultural land in India. The be borne by the central government to ensure the
remaining 51.2 percent is rainfed but accounts overall interest rate for state share comes down
for nearly 40 percent of the country’s total food to about 6 percent and make it attractive for state
production. The increasing gap also impacts rainfed governments to take requisite funds to meet state
production in the country. share for early completion of projects.
The government in its 2016 Budget gave a strong As on January 1 of the 2019–20 fiscal, NABARD
push on increasing irrigation coverage and made has released an amount of Rs 10,469.78 crore under
major financial outlays for creating new irrigation the Long Term Irrigation Fund (LTIF). A maximum of
infrastructure in the country. It had announced that Rs 3,559.38 crore fund was released to Maharashtra
of the roughly 150 then-ongoing irrigation projects followed by Rs 1994.15 crore to Uttar Pradesh, Rs
under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme 1,850 crore to Andhra Pradesh, Rs 1383 crore to
(AIBP) under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana
Gujarat, Rs 827 crore to Odisha and Rs 291.81 crore
(PMKSY), 99 would be expedited and completed by
to Madhya Pradesh in the said period.
December 2019.
Together, these projects, put on the
fast track, were to add about 76.03 lakh
hectares of cultivable land under irrigation
network. The 99 projects were to be
completed along with their Command Area
Development and Water Management
(CADWM) works.
The government put in place a
funding mechanism through NABARD
for providing loans towards central
as well as state share for completion
of these identified irrigation projects.

Results So Far In some projects which were to complete this

The latest figures shared by the Central Water month, he said there could be a delay of one to two
Commission (CWC) under the Ministry of Water months because of the nationwide lockdown to
Resources (also called Jal Shakti Ministry), show the prevent the spread of deadly viral disease COVID-
number of projects to be fast tracked for completion 19 in the country.
has gone up to 106 now. Out of which, 40 projects As per the original plan, 99 prioritised projects
have been fully completed till now, while the were to be completed in a phased manner. In first
remaining are in the pipeline. phase, 23 projects were to be completed by March
CWC Chairman R K Jain said, the delay in 2017 creating irrigation potential of 14.53 lakh
completion of identified 99 projects has not been hectares, another 31 projects were to be finished
due to the lack of funds but mainly because of land by March 2018 creating irrigation potential of 12.95
acquisition. lakh hectares in the second phase, while the rest 45
projects were to be completed in the third phase
“In some cases, there are disputes between
by December 2019 creating 48.45 lakh hectares
the contracting agencies. Some railway and highway
irrigation network. (See table)
crossing hurdles are also there. In one or two cases,
forest clearance issues are also there,” he told the In the first phase, around 18 projects were
writer and pointed out that the central government completed, creating an irrigation network of
simply supplements efforts of state governments in 3,68,150 hectare (ha). It may be noted that
creating irrigation facilities by providing technical maximum irrigation potential was created in Odisha
and financial assistance under AIBP. at 93,600 ha by completing two projects. One was
Even some minor works are still pending in Upper Indravati Project in drought prone districts
the completed 40 projects, according to the CWC of Kalahandi and Nawarangpur in Odisha. The
Member S K Halder who said any project is declared other one was Rukura Midium Irrigation project in
as completed after 90 per cent work is over. “There Gurundia block of Sudargarh district.
may be some minor work remaining and that will Besides Odisha, about 92,060 hectare of
take its own time,” said Shri Halder. irrigation network was created in Maharashtra by
Shri Halder, who is closely monitoring these completion of four major pending projects. One was
projects, feels that another 40 projects would be Bawanthadi Interstate Irrigation project, which was
completed by December 2019 or March 2020. conceived way back in 1975, in Bhandara district of
The rest 26 projects would be delayed further by Maharasthra. The other one was Warna Medium
six months or a year due to land acquisition and Irrigation project approved in 1967 that got delayed
rehabilitation issues besides others. due to non-availability of funds and Lower Panzara
The Estimated Fund Requirement (Central Assistance as well as State Share)
for Completion of 99 Projects
Fund required for completion Central Irrigation Potential
No. of (Rs. in crore) Share (Rs. Utilisation
Category Projects AIBP CAD TOTAL in crore) (Lakh Ha.)
Priority-I projects 23 7956 5466 13423 6535 14.53
(Completion by 3/2017)
Priority-D projects 31 8080 4825 12905 4269 12.95
Priority-DI projects 45 32510 18757 51268 20538 48.45
Total 99 48546 29049 77595 31342 76.03
Note: Figures mentioned are as per infonnation compiled /received from States. However, while processing CA proposals, the
figures considered would be as per actual and therefore may change.
(Source: Jal Shakti Ministry)

project approved in 1984 as well as Dongargaon irrigation system and flows through field canals and
Midium Irrigation project. reaches farm fields. But the last mile connectivity of
Similarly, 91,950 ha irrigation potential was irrigation network is done under the Command Area
created in Punjab by completing two major pending Development and Water Management Programme
projects, one was Kandi Canal Extension (Phase-II) (CADWM).
and Rehabilitation of Patiala Feeder and the other “CADWM is a participatory programme under
was Kotla Branch Project. which farmers are required to contribute some
The other states where projects completed money and form water association, which is little bit
were in Madhya Pradesh (3 projects irrigated 41,100 lagging,” he said. Before the launch of the CADWM,
ha), Chhattisgarh (2 projects irrigated 24,700 ha), irrigation was provided after completion of a project
Karnataka (1 project irrigated 13, 800 ha), Telangana without waiting for development of command area,
(3 projects irrigated 9,720 ha) and Andhra Pradesh but it failed in ensuring water use efficiency and
(1 project irrigated 1,420 ha). In the second phase, water to last mile. Because of these problems, the
22 projects have been completed. government had to introduce CADWM.
Projects Implementation In many cases, the states seem to show little

or lukewarm interest in command area projects. In
Many of the projects that were fast-tracked one project in Punjab (Kotla branch), for instance,
for completion in 2016 had remained under- the state government has decided not to further
construction for several years, some even for a develop the command area after about 60 percent
couple of decades, due to problems in funding, progress in the construction work.
land acquisition, rehabilitation and resettlement of
affected people besides inadequate state budgets, Researcher Pritha Banerjee from think thank
etc. The delays had led to major cost-overruns and ICRIER (Indian Council for Research on International
in many cases the budgetary allocations were barely Economic Relations) is of the view that most of the
enough to cover for these escalations in costs. states are not ready for command area development
as it requires land acquisition and small farmers are
As irrigation projects have a long construction
reluctant to part with their lands. In the absence
period, this has resulted in changes in the size and
of command area development, farmers in the tail-
nature of projects after starting work, which adds
end on both the sides of the main canal take water
to delays.
from it by using pump sets, which increases their
Way Ahead of Farmers to Reap Irrigation costs and leads to wastage of water. Small farmers,
Benefit who could not afford additional costs, solely depend
Farmers are yet to get the benefit from the on the command area to take the water into their
40 completed projects out of 99 identified projects fields, she said.
under the AIBP as command area development has The expenditure on command area
not started in many projects. In 16 projects, the infrastructure is shared by the Centre and the state
work is yet to get started, while in another 12, the concerned on a 6:4 basis. Some states have agreed
development has to be expedited. to start the construction of command area, but
According to the guidelines for PMKSY, the asked for more funds from the Centre. The water
motto of which is ‘Har Khet Ko Paani’ (water for resources ministry will have to decide how it will
every agricultural land by providing end-to-end encourage states to implement these projects.
solutions in irrigation supply chain), the completion “There is a lag of 1–2 years. Unless water flows
of a project includes development of command through the canal system for sometime and farmers
area besides the main canal and its branches. are confident that they will be getting water, farmers
On this, CWC Chairman R K Jain said that canals will not come forward to participate in the CADWM,”
are constructed upto an outlet under AIBP. Outlet is Jain said and noted that the state governments have
the point from where water comes out of the main a major role to play in implementation of both AIBP

and CADWM. CWC is monitoring and facilitating method for pricing water for irrigation which must
states wherever bottlenecks are found. move from area-based fees to quantity-based fee.
Way Forward It also suggested subsidy on water up to a threshold
level and putting in place a robust IT and automated
Expressing concern over low irrigation system to track efficient use of water resources
coverage, a task force headed by Economic
among others.
Affairs Secretary Atanu Chakraborty on National
Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) for 2020-2025 References
projected an investment of Rs 8,94,473 crore to
• 2017-18 Annual Report of Ministry of Water
ramp up irrigation network in the next five years by
Resources
both the Centre and states.
• 2020 report of the task force on National
“Investment in the irrigation sector is critical
Infrastructure Pipeline and the Central Water
as it directly impacts agriculture and the rural
economy in India. As the livelihood of a major Commission Officials
proportion of India’s population depends on (The author is a senior journalist with news
agriculture and allied activities, it is important to agency PTI and has been covering issues related
minimise the uncertainty owing to dependence of to agriculture, food, environment, consumer
agriculture on rains,” the task force said in the final affairs, and rural India for more than 17 years now.
report submitted last month to the Union Finance Email: pen2laxmi@gmail.com)
Ministry.
While pitching for
greater participation of PM CARES Fund Trust Allocates Rs. 3100 Crore for
private players to bring in Fight against COVID-19
efficiencies in irrigation
system, the task force
suggested key regulatory
reforms which include
sharper focus on better
management of existing
irrigation infrastructure than
putting more money into
building new infrastructure.
It also emphasised the
need to increase micro-
irrigation coverage as it will
go a long way in solving the
country’s water crisis. This
makes private investment
imperative in micro-irrigation
projects, which are relatively
less risky. It also called for
according priority status to
micro-irrigation projects to
ensure greater flow of bank
credit to farmers to buy
equipment.
Besides, the task force
recommended a better


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Water Management: Towards Sustainable Agriculture