‘Watershed’ moment for Andhra Pradesh in green drive

VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh is among the top five states in the country to have successfully implemented the watershed programme. The programme has shown good impact in terms of increasing ground water table, vegetation and plantation, besides providing livelihood to the landless poor, said Dr CP Reddy, senior additional commissioner at department of land resources in Union rural development ministry, after a review meeting of the scheme with officials from panchayat raj and rural development department on Saturday.The programme included injection wells and greening of hillocks to increase ground water table and rejuvenation of vegetation on barren hillocks.
Dr Reddy, who is on a review mission to study the watershed programme and digitisation of land records in the state, said AP has been doing well in the watershed development component of the Prime Minister Krishi Sinchayee Yojana. “The state was given 373 projects with a financial outlay of Rs 1,704.58 crore under the programme, out of which it has executed 261 projects spending Rs 1,622.93 crore,” he said, while adding that 95 per cent of the works were completed successfully. “The central government has asked AP to complete the balance 112 projects spending Rs 69.74 crore by March 2022. These projects were targeted to bring 15.48 lakh hectares under cultivation in the state.”

He further said that department of land resources is now holding reviews of the programme in all states with the respective implementing agencies. “The land resources department is planning to launch new generation of watersheds targeting 5 million hectares of degraded lands across the country to be converted into cultivable lands. The new project would have modified guidelines and enhanced cost norms,” he added.
Watershed programme joint commissioner B Janardhan Reddy presented the proposal for coverage of 10 lakh hectares of degraded land for the next level of the scheme, to be launched by the Union government. He said the state has 70 lakh hectares of degraded land to be covered and wanted the Centre to consider the proposal.
Dr Reddy also visited the department of survey, settlement and land records in the city and held a meeting with officials. He also visited the tehsildar’s office at Penamaluru to verify the digitalisation of land records. He was informed that all land records would be computerised and information would be made available online in all sub-registrar offices. The data would be stored in two different places to protect it from any devastation or accident.