Creating an ecosystem for increasing water-use efficiency in agriculture
This report proposes solutions for efficiently implementing the existing schemes and measures that would assist in the greater adoption of sustainable water-use management practices amongst small and marginal famers, and other stakeholders in the agriculture sector. The Government of India (GoI) has been proactive towards water management and launched multiple schemes to promoteWUE in agriculture. Such initiatives have been renewed periodically as per the changing requirements at local, state and national levels. The Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) was launched in 2015 and serves as an output-driven umbrella programme with four components envisioning the increased irrigation potential. The scheme aims to enhance agricultural productivity by covering more area under irrigation and strengthening distribution networks in an
integrated manner. The GoI has set a target of covering 100 lakh ha in five years under micro irrigation. The Ministry of Jal Shakti has been created to consolidate interrelated functions pertaining to water management. In addition to initiatives undertaken by the GoI, many states have recognised the challenges of rising water scarcity in their regions and taken adequate steps to address the same.
