The Hindu Business Line : `Water management key to agricultural growth'

The Finance Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram; the Agriculture Minister, Mr Sharad Pawar; and the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, Mr Montek Singh Ahluwalia, at a meeting of the sub-committee of the National Development Council in the Capital on Tuesday. — Kamal Narang

New Delhi , Oct. 4

THE National Development Council sub-committee on agriculture met on Tuesday to work out strategies to attain a 4-per cent growth in the agriculture sector.

Chairing the session, the Union Agriculture Minister, Mr Sharad Pawar, said water management holds the key to such a growth rate in a sustainable manner.

It has been estimated that about 20 million hectares of additional land can be brought under irrigation by completing the ongoing major and medium irrigation projects and by constructing field channels in command areas.

The Agriculture Minister said all the concerns of the Prime Minister are incorporated in the terms of reference of the sub-committee. "He (the PM) wanted us to explore the scope for converging the resources of Bharat Nirman and the National Employment Guarantee Scheme with the schemes of the agriculture sector," said Mr Pawar.

Mr Pawar said the sub-committee is supposed to submit an interim report by December 2005 and that the deadline must be honoured.

The first National Development Council sub-committee was attended by the Finance Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram; the Planning Commission Deputy Chairman, Mr Montek Singh Ahluwalia; the Rural Development Minister, Mr Raghuvansh Prasad Singh; the Water Resources Minister Mr P.R. Dashmunsi; and the Food Processing Minister, Mr Subodh Kant Sahai, according to an official release. Also present were Mr Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister of Orissa; Mr Vilasrao Deshmukh, Chief Minister of Maharashtra; Agriculture Ministers from various States, senior officials from the Agriculture Ministry and members of the Planning Commission.

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