July 26, 2017
Manish Gupta makes a Special Mention regarding the underutilisation of funds under PMKSY
FULL TRANSCRIPT
One of the main reasons for the farmer distress and crop failures in the country is due to the lack of proper irrigation system in place. Since the inception of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) in 2015, the total funds allocated are 20,925 crores whereas the promised allocation was 30,000 crores i.e. only 70%. The revised estimates of the funds so far been allotted depicts the reality of improper utilization at the ground level.
In the year 2016-17, government has drastically reduced the budget allotted for the PMKSY by approximately 2,000 crores to 5,767 crores. Above this, the revised estimates of the scheme are 5,187 crores only i.e. 51% of the promised average allocation.
Under this project with a tag line of “Har Khet Ko Pani (More Crop Per Drop)”, the central government allotted an average of 7,000 crores per year for the whole country. It must be noted that in Bengal, the budget for Irrigation and Waterways is Rs 2,140 crores for 2017-18.
Moreover, the State has also initiated a scheme called ‘Jal Tirtha’ for addressing the problem of irrigation coverage. So far a budget of approximately 500 crores has been spent by the government under ‘Jal Tirtha’ with emphasis on surface water management in the state.
Therefore, it is imperative that the Government completely utilizes the funds allocated under PMKSY to ensure the welfare of farmers across the nation.
