Watershed project plan okayed

BHUBANESWAR: The State Government has approved an action plan for integrated watershed management projects (IWMPs) for backward districts and blocks having less than 35 per cent irrigation potential. A high-level meeting, chaired by Chief Secretary Bijay Kumar Patnaik recently, decided that priority will be given to the 14 integrated action plan (IAP) districts and blocks having less than 35 per cent irrigation facility, higher poverty index, higher percentage of SCs and STs, and small and marginal farmers. The districts selected for the IWMPs are Balangir, Deogarh, Gajapati, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Koraput, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Nuapada, Rayagada, Sambalpur and Sundargarh. Six backward and drought-prone districts selected as per guidelines are Boudh, Bargarh, Ganjam, Nayagarh, Dhenkanal and Khurda. The selected districts will have 1,745 micro watersheds covering an area of 10.02 lakh hectares. The Chief Secretary advised the department concerned to adopt cluster approach in the management of micro-watersheds. Ten to 15 watersheds will be set up in one cluster and one project implementing agency (PIA) kept in charge of the cluster. Each cluster will have two inter-related teams _ watershed management team (WMT) and livelihood support team (LST) _ for providing  guidance and hand-holding support to farmers. Each micro-watershed will have watershed committee and community link workers (CLWs). The project will be grounded through grassroots organisations like common interest group (CIG), users’ group (UG) and self-help group (SHG). The departments were asked to assess the requirement for full-phased development in watershed areas. As per the Central guidelines of the project, ` 12,000 will be utilised for development of one hectare. Additional funds required for the project can be supplemented by way of convergence from MGNREGS and other livelihood support schemes. The Agriculture Department was asked to ensure management of acidic soil in watershed areas and initiate the process for setting up a dedicated institute for watershed management training in the City having a dedicated machinery for field linkage.   Development Commissioner R.N.Senapati, Agriculture Secretary R L  Jamuda,  SC & ST Development Secretary Santosh Sarangi and Watershed Development Mission Director G.Bhaskar Reddy were present.