(a) the area under cultivation with assured irrigation facilities during each of the last three years, State-wise as on date;
(b) whether there has been a sharp decline in area under assured irrigation and the successive Five Year Plans in this regard failed to realise the targets;
(c) the facts thereof; and
(d) the steps taken to develop agriculture under assured irrigation and expansion of such area?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE
MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (PROF. K.V. THOMAS)
(a): A statement on State-wise net irrigated area for the years 2004-05 to
2006-07 is given at Annexure-I.
(b) & (c): No, Madam. There has been continuous increase in the irrigation
potential creation and irrigation potential utilized over various Five Year Plans.
The total irrigation potential created up to the end of X Plan is 102.77 million
hectares and the total irrigation potential utilized is 87.23 million hectares.
Plan-wise cumulative irrigation potential created and utilized is given at
Annexure-II.
(d): The Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (AIBP) extends financial
assistance to the States for creation of irrigation potential and by completion
of identified ongoing irrigation projects. 272 major/medium irrigation projects
and 10236 surface water minor irrigation schemes have been included under AIBP
till 11th November 2009. Out of these, 109 major/medium projects and 6640 surface
minor irrigation schemes have been completed. An additional irrigation potential
of 59.39 lakh hectares has been created till March 2009.
65 major/medium irrigation projects under the Prime Minister’s relief
package for agrarian distressed districts of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala
and Maharashtra have been selected for receiving financial assistance under AIBP.
So far 38 projects have been funded under AIBP.
The Surface Minor Irrigation Schemes for North-Eastern States, Hilly States
of Sikkim, Uttaranchal, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and undivided Koraput,
Bolangir and Kalahandi Districts of Orissa have also been provided Central Loan
Assistance under this programme since 1999-2000. As per the existing AIBP criteria
effective from December, 2006, grant amounting to 25% of the project cost for major
and medium irrigation projects in non-special category States and 90% grant of the
project cost for major/medium/minor irrigation projects in special category States
(including undivided Koraput, Bolangir and Kalahandi districts of Orissa) are
provided to the selected projects.
For the year 2009-10, projected grant requirement of AIBP is Rs.12285 crore
for creation of an additional irrigation potential of 10.50 lakh hectare. Budget
allocation made available for 2009-10 for AIBP is of Rs.8000 crore.
Since February 2009, scheme of National Projects has also been implemented
for funding high priority projects of international and inter-state importance. So
far, 14 projects have been identified as National Projects, which are at different
stages of planning and execution.