Minor Surface Water Flow Irrigation Projects

These projects comprising of storage and diversion works occupy a conspicuous place in the complex of irrigated agriculture in the country particularly in the undulating areas south of
Vindhyas and the hilly regions. They provide the only means of irrigation in several tracts (which include the bulk of the chronically drought affected areas) and are labour intensive and other extensive opportunities for rural employment. They are also of considerable help in recharging the resources of ground water in the hard rock areas.

Surface Water Lift Irrigation Schemes

	These schemes are playing a very useful role on sites where available surface water can not be used for irrigation through construction of flow irrigation works due to topographical limitations.Investment on these schemes is comparatively less and these can be completed very
quickly.

Ground Water Development Projects

These projects form the major part of the minor irrigation programmes and include construction of dugwells, dug-cum-borewells, filter points, private shallow tubewell, and deep public tubewells, It is essentially a people's programme implemented primarily through individual and cooperative efforts with finance obtained from institutional sources. The programme , therefore imposes very little burden on the public exchequer.

Minor Irrigation Schemes

Minor irrigation includes the following types of schemes, subject to the condition that command area of the individual schemer should not exceed 2000 hectares.

Ground water minor irrigation schemes include:

• Open wells
• Repair of wells
• Boring of wells
• Deepening of wells
• Water lifting appliances
• Tubewells
• Artesian wells
• Filter-points

Surface water schemes include:

• Tanks and reservoirs
• Diversion Schemes including hilly channels
• Lift irrigation from rivers and streams
• Water conservation-cum-ground water recharging schemes

Priorities in the Context of Bihar

The strategy to accelerate the minor irrigation programmes during the 9 th Plan period comprise two following main thrust areas:

• As surface water (minor ) sources are limited, concerted action to step up ground water development would be taken.Concerted action is proposed to explore ground water in the plateau areas of Chhotanagpur and Santhal Parganas. Besides special schemes will be prepared for development of Tal areas with shallow tubewells.
• While the flow of institutional credit has not been picking up at the desired rate, in the state, particularly minor irrigation sector , mobilising investible resources from the Land development Bank, Commercial Bank,etc. through special efforts would be the main stress of the MI programmes during the 9 th Plan. National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development (NABARD) has prepared a Rs. 1005.62 Crores perspective plan for credit flows in the MI sector during 9 th Plan. Year wise targets are as follows:

The physical target fixed by NABARD are the following:

Internationally Funded Projects

Under the BPDP restoration work of 257 Medium Irrigation and 181 Lift Irrigation Schemes, falling under 67 Blocks of the State, is being carried out. For this, schemes have been grouped in to packages. The smallest package has 3 nos. of schemes while the biggest package has 12 nos. of schemes. In their dilapidated state, these schemes were able to irrigate only 1642 hetaeras of land , but after restoration these schemes will be able to provide irrigation in 32,649 hectares of land. Thus restoration of these schemes will result in provision of irrigation in an additional 31,007 hectares of land.

Out of the total 438 schemes, 14 schemes could not be taken up for restoration due to objections of the local people and land acquisition problems etc. Restoration work has been completedon the rest of the 424 schemesin June 2000. The details of the progress of these schemes as on March 2000 are as following:

• Registration of Beneficiary Committees : Beneficiary Committees of all the 424 schemes have been formed and duly registered.
• Training of Beneficiary Committees  :  Upto March 2000, 418 Beneficiary Committees have already been imparted training. Rest of the Committees are scheduled to be trained  in the near future.
• Formulation of Estimate for Operation and Maintenance of the Schemes : As per actual estimates,  33 pilot schemes for operation and maintenance were prepared by the Consultants of the Project. On the basis of these very estimates, operation and maintenance estimates of the rest of the 405 schemes have been prepared by the engineers of the Minor Irrigation Department. During training of the Beneficiary Committees, members are being informed about these estimates.
• Contribution by the Beneficiaries : Beneficiaries are to contribute 20% of the estimates as per the plan proposed by the MI Department, Ranchi.
• Pumpsets for Lift Irrigation Schemes : 426 Pumpsets are required for 181 Lift Irrigation Schemes. Upto March 2000, 416 Pumpsets have already been installed. 294 of theses have been commissioned .
• Building Construction : under this project , at a cost of Rs. 346.90 lakhs, a "Combined Building" for housing different offices , residential flats, and a guest house have been constructed at Ranchi.

• Financing of the MI Component of BPD Project : Minor Irrigation component of the BPD project is estimated at Rs. 10,590.38 lakhs, out of which upto March 2000, Rs. 8,299.29 lakhs have been spent as per the following details:
  

Component  wise Details of Expenditure :

• Irrigation Potential Created : In the year 1999-2000 during Kharif and Rabi season about 18,930 hectares and 2018 hectares of land respectively have been provided irrigation by the restored schemes of the project.