(a) whether arable land is being lost due to soil erosion caused by rivers;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the Government has taken the required measures to check the soil erosion by rivers;
(d) if so, the details thereof; and
(e) the steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Union Government to compensate the farmers who
have suffered loss due to the said erosion?
MINISTER OF THE STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF WATER RESOURCES (SHRI VINCENT H. PALA)
(a) to (d) Yes Sir. The arable (cultivable) land located in the flood plains or the land falling in the course
of meandering rivers are subjected to erosion by rivers during floods. The subject of flood management
including protection measures against land erosion, however, falls within the purview of the State
Governments. The schemes for flood and erosion control are therefore, planned, funded and executed
by the State Governments, as per their own priorities, out of their State plan funds which are made
available to them through Planning Commission. In order to provide additional financial support to
the State Governments, the Government of India also assists the flood prone States in flood management
and anti-erosion works for critical reaches. During XI Plan period, central assistance is being provided
to all the flood affected states for river management, flood control and anti-erosion works under a state
sector scheme, namely, “Flood Management Programme (FMP)’. A total of 311 works from 19 states with a total
estimated cost of Rs. 3232.77 crore have been included under “FMP†and the central assistance amounting to
Rs. 1571.06 crore has been released to the States as on 31.03.2010.
(e) Relief to the States affected by natural calamities is provided under Calamity Relief Fund (CRF) and
National Calamity Contingency Fund (NCCF). As reported by MHA, the erosion of land by rivers has not been
identified as a natural calamity by 12th Finance Commission for assistance under CRF and NCCF. As such,
there is no provision of compensating the farmers who have suffered loss due to the land erosion by rivers,
under CRF and NCCF.