(a) whether Registered Water Users` Associations are yet to be formed in West Bengal;
(b) if so, the measures undertaken by the Government to speed up the formation of these
associations in West Bengal;
(c) whether it is true that the irrigation potential utilised as documented in the official
data and the irrigation potential utilised by the farmers differ substantially; and
(d) if so, the reasons there for and the measures being taken by the Union Government to
address this issue?
THE MINISTER OF WATER RESOURCES (SHRI HARISH RAWAT)
(a) Water Users’ Associations (WUAs) are formed and registered in West Bengal.
(b) WUAs are formed while taking up of construction of field channels under Command Area
Development and Water Management (CAD&WM) programme. States, including West Bengal, are provided
assistance for formation of WUAs. An amount of Rs.1000 per hectare is provided as a functional
grant to each registered WUAs to be shared in the ratio of 450:450:100 among the Centre: State:
Farmers.
(c) Government of West Bengal has reported that about 42% of potential created under major &
medium irrigation projects has been utilised during 2010-11 as per record.
(d) Water being state subject, irrigation projects are planned and implemented by the respective
State Governments through their own resources. However, central assistance is provided to supplement
the resources under CAD&WM programme for utilisation of irrigation potential created. To reduce the
gap of irrigation potential created and utilised, CAD&WM programme is to be implemented pari-passu
with Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme during XII Plan.