Other Schemes

National Watershed Development Project for Rainfed Areas (NWDPRA)

Launched in 1990-91, for the benefit of blocks where area under assured means of irrigation is less than 30% of total cultivable area, NWDPRA's main guiding principlesare: conservation of natural resources, integrated development of natural as well as social resources, in-situ moisture conservation, sustainable farming system, adoption of ridge to valley approach, production enhancement activities for land owners and livelihood support for landless families. The programme lays stress on democratic decentralisation in decision making, transparency in transactions and mobilisation of community at the village level. Watershed development is theoretically to be planned, implemented, monitored and maintained by the communities.

Integrated Wasteland Development Programme (IWDP)

The Integrated Wasteland Development Programme (IWDP) of the Government of India, started in 1989-90, seeks to develop government-owned wastelands and common property resources (CPRs), on the basis of village-level or micro-watershed plans.

Major activities to be taken up under the scheme include in situ soil and moisture conservation measures like terracing, bunding, trenching, vegetative barriers and drainage line treatment, planting and sowing of multi-purpose trees, shrubs, grasses, legumes and pasture land development; drainage-line treatment through vegetative and engineering structures; development of small water-harvesting structures; afforestation of degraded forest and non-forest wasteland and development and conservation of CPRs.

The focus is on cultivable wastelands; uncultivable wastelands are not generally considered as such lands are often so degraded that cost of treatment is very expensive and the lands are far from villages, making management of projects difficult.

Most of the funds come from the Central government. The programme requires high degree of people's participation through panchayati raj and other village-level institutions.

DPAPseeks to reduce effects of drought by funding projects for developing watersheds, water resources and pastures/afforestation projects in identified 'drought prone' blocks;  the list includes blocks of Jalaun, Banda, Chitrakoot, Hamirpur and Mahoba districts. The central government provides 75% of the funds; the state government has to bear the rest of the cost. The cost of land 'treatment' is fixed at Rs 6000/ha.

Artificial Recharge To Groundwater Through Dug Wells (ARGTDW)

ARGTDWsupports recharging groundwater resources by collecting rain water and diverting it to existing open wells that are dry or almost dry. Recharge pits with desilting chambers have to be constructed near the open well; desilted water is led from the pit to the bottom of a well by a PVC pipe. The total cost involved is estimated to be Rs 4000 per installation. The Central government provides a 100% subsidy for construction of these structures to small and marginal farmers who have lands in 'over-exploited', 'critical' and 'semi-critical' blocks; the last category of blocks are found in Tikamgarh, Chhatarpur and Datia districts. The subsidy is provided through NABARD.