In last 5 years, Gujarat got over half the Central irrigation funds

Gujarat has cornered the lion’s share of central funds allocated for irrigation schemes in the last five years, according to a formal reply in the Rajya Sabha on Friday.

The State got central assistance worth ₹2,074 crore, or nearly 56 per cent of the total ₹3,772 crore spent for Command Area Development and Water Management (CADWM) between 2014-15 and 2018-19, said Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar in reply to questions from Congress MPs Amee Yajnik and Husain Dalwai. Besides, Gujarat received another ₹1,200 crore, which is nearly 12 per cent of the funds allotted for another scheme Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) during the same period. The Centre sanctioned a total of ₹10,249 crore for the PMKSY scheme between 2014-15 and 2018-19. States which received more funds than Gujarat under the PMKSY scheme were Andhra Pradesh (₹1,674 crore), Karnataka (₹1,323 crore) and Maharashtra (₹1,313 crore).

According to the Minister, a total of 103 districts in six States were declared drought-hit in 2018-19 and allocated ₹8,171 crore cumulatively for drought relief, against the States’ total demand of ₹22,771 crore. However, the drought was less widespread than in 2015-16, which had adversely impacted 259 districts.

In Maharashtra, where 26 districts were affected by severe drought, got ₹4,714 crore central relief, while Rajasthan (nine drought-hit districts) got ₹1,207 crore. Karnataka where as many as 30 districts were parched during both kharif and rabi seasons received ₹949.49 crore, though the State had sought a relief of ₹2,434 crore, the reply said.