Chandigarh, April 9 - Haryana Chief Secretary Mr. Anurag Rastogi chaired a high-level meeting with the World Bank Appraisal Mission here today regarding the implementation of the Water Secure Haryana Programme with the aim of long-term water sustainability in the state.
This programme with a total cost of Rs. 5,715 crore includes a World Bank loan of Rs. 4 thousand crore. The objective of this initiative is to ensure efficiency, reliability and sustainability of agricultural water use in Haryana. This programme proposed over a period of six years is a comprehensive and planned effort to strengthen the water management system in the state.
This project will be implemented with the coordinated efforts of various departments. Under this, Rs. 3,328 crore has been allocated to the Irrigation and Water Resources Department, Rs. 1,500 crore to the Small Irrigation and Command Area Development Authority and Rs. 887 crore to the Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department. This coordination of departments is expected to ensure integrated planning and effective implementation.
Dr. Satbir Singh Kadian, Chief Engineer, Irrigation and Water Resources Department, said that the programme has been designed with an objective of bringing about structural change in water management through the use of modern technology, institutional strengthening and farmer-centric interventions. The programme will be implemented in 15 clusters covering an area of ??48.94 lakh acres and will benefit a large part of the irrigable command area of ??the state.
A major focus of this initiative is to adopt a data-driven water management system, which includes digital databases and real-time monitoring mechanisms to improve irrigation efficiency and service delivery.
The programme also lays special emphasis on sustainable agricultural systems, which include crop diversification and promotion of water-conserving techniques like direct seeded rice.
Additional Chief Secretary of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department Mr. Vijender Kumar, Principal Secretary of Architecture Department Mr. Pankaj Agrawal, Commissioner and Secretary of Excise and Taxation Department Mrs. Ashima Brar and other senior officials were present in the meeting.