Bundelkhand Package

Special Package for drought mitigation and a Comprehensive Package for Integrated Development of the Bundelkhand regions of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. 19 November 2009

The Union Cabinet today approved a Special Package at a cost of Rs.7,266 crore for implementation of a drought mitigation strategy over a period of three years commencing from 2009-10 for integrated development of Bundelkhand regions in the States of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. The region comprises of seven districts of Uttar Pradesh (Banda, Chitrakoot, Hamirpur, Jalaun, Jhansi, Lalipur and Mahoba) and six districts of Madhya Pradesh (Chhatarpur, Damoh, Datia, Panna, Sagar and Tikamgarh). STRATEGY: The prime mover of the package is optimization of water resources through rainwater harvesting and through proper utilization of the river systems. Intensive and diversified agriculture is to be promoted for productivity gains in the crops along with promoting higher sown area in the Kharif season. Animal husbandry and diary activities will be expanded as an ancillary activity to enhance farmers’ incomes to cope with the drought conditions. Some specific major targets • Develop 7 lakh hectare of land in UP and four lakh hectare in MP with watershed development measures. • Additional 60,000 hectares of forest areas in UP and 2 lakh hectares of forest areas in MP will be taken up for integrated conservation and management of rainfall, soil, and biomass in the natural sequence of watershed treatment from ridge to valley. • 20,000 new dug wells in each state and 30,000 farm ponds will be constructed to store rain-water for providing irrigation at critical stages. • To raise and diversify farmers’ income extension activities on agriculture technology will be intensively promoted to improve the crop productivity in the region alongwith animal husbandry and arid horticulture. • Irrigation facilities, marketing infrastructure and agricultural risk management will be important areas of focus. FUNDING: The activities proposed to be implemented under the package are estimated to cost Rs.7266 crore over a period of 3 years. A part of the cost of the package this cost will be met by converging resources from ongoing central programmes and schemes. To meet the gaps in availability of financial resources and provide a thrust to the drought mitigation package an additional plan central assistance to the tune of Rs.3450 crore will be provided to the two State Governments of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh over a period of three years commencing from 2009-10. IMPLEMENTING AGENCIES: The two State Governments will identify their respective agencies which will draw the project proposals for implementation in their respective Bundelkhand areas ensuring convergence with the Centrally Sponsored / funded programmes. In order to enhance the benefits to the region the national Rainfed Area Authority (NRAA) will examine and approve these projects ensuring synergisation of the proposals of the State Governments with the ongoing central programmes. To monitor the progress of implementation of the special package for Bundelkhand, a Monitoring Group shall be constituted at the Center with the Members, Planning Commission in-charge of UP and MP as chairperson and co-chairperson; the Secretaries of the concerned line departments, CEO of NRAA and the Chief Secretaries of UP and MP as members of the Monitoring Group; and the Principal Adviser/Senior Adviser/Adviser in-charge of these States in the State Plan Division in the Planning Commission as the Member-Secretary. NRAA shall undertake visits to the area, and periodically submit the progress of implementation to the Monitoring Group. Background: Bundelkhand region in both the States has had deficient rainfall consecutively since 2004-05. Considering the hardship faced by the people in the region and the representations made for Central Assistance by the State Governments of UP and MP, the Union Department of Agriculture and Cooperation set up an Inter-Ministerial Central Team (MCT) to visit the Bundelkhand areas and to assess the ground situation in order to recommend strategies and measures that are required for agricultural development suitable for the areas. The Inter-Ministerial Team (IMCT) led by the Chief Executive Officer of National Rainfed Area Authority (NRAA), with representatives from the Ministries/Departments concerned visited the areas and held consultations with the two State Governments and the farmers’ representatives in January and February 2008. On the basis of these extensive interactions the Team submitted its report in April 2008 recommending a drought mitigation package at a cost of Rs.8,316 crore. Of these recommendations the components relating to debt relief has already been covered under the farmers’ debt relief scheme announced by the Central Government in 2008; and the components of agricultural research will be separately considered by the Department of Agricultural Research and Education. The present package contemplates to put into operation the rest of the recommendations of the Team which relate to drought mitigation strategies and measures for the region. Benefits: The emphasis in the package on watershed development and irrigation facilities will equip the region in coping with drought with resilience. The promotion of drought resistant arid-horticulture as well as the animal husbandry activities will diversify the farmers’ incomes to more assured sources. Interventions on the forest land will help in planting of local grasses and fruit bearing trees like Amla, Ber, Bel etc. which will restore not only the degraded forests but will also meet the essential livelihood needs of the people for fuelwood, fodder for the cattle while enhancing the drinking and ground water availability. The successful implementation of the package is expected to mitigate the effect of drought in the region. **** AKT/SH/RK (Release ID :54257)