The state government has provided Rs 2.44 crore for the Bhapraal-Ladhiyani-Sumadi-Bharadi drinking water supply schemes so that all the villages falling in this area get sufficient drinking water in hot summers.

This was said by the Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Forests and Fisheries, Rajesh Dharmani, while addressing a large gathering at Bhapraal village after hearing the grievances of villagers in a day- long "Meet the People" camp here on Wednesday.

The implementation of the Mid-Himalayan Watershed Development Project has increased the average income of families under the project area by a significant nine per cent.

Stating this while interacting with a delegation of the World Bank Mission, led by Norman Piccioni, here yesterday, Forest Minister Thakur Singh Bharmouri said there had been a considerable improvement in the lifestyle of 25 per cent people belonging to the Below Poverty Line (BPL) category. The delegation was here to take stock of developmental activities under the project in the state.

The annual plan of the state for 2013-14 has been finalised at Rs 4,100 crore, which is Rs 400 crore more than the last year’s plan.

Pune: The regional office of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) has disbursed Rs 7,348.39 crore for agriculture and rural development across the state.

The amount — which is 22% higher than the previous year — has been allotted for the financial year 2012-13. M V Ashok, chief general manager of Nabard regional office, said, “Nabard has also decided to converge the watershed development projects with Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS).

Farmers hopes soar seeing the success of watershed projects in arid areas. The arid tracts of Madurai district are gradually turning fertile.

GUWAHATI: Samaj Pragati Sahayog (SPS), an NGO, will start pilot projects for watershed management in Bokakhat and Dergaon of Golaghat district and Teok and Mariani in district.

Switch From Rain-Fed Crops To Cash Crops

Hiware Bazar: For those who wonder if Maharashtra can tide over the current drought situation, Hiware Bazar, with its ‘yes we can’ spirit, is the answer. Notwithstanding the fact that Ahmednagar is facing its worst drought since Independence, Hiware Bazar in the same district has no water scarcity.
It’s not that Nature favoured Hiware Bazar with a special bounty. In fact, the village had received a normal rainfall of 199 mm last year, just like most regions that are hit by water scarcity today. But the 1,300 residents of Hiware Bazar scripted their destiny differently.

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) has estimated the prioritised resource requirement for critical infrastructure needs at Rs 8,098.19 crore for Karnataka during the 12th Plan period. Nabard has adopted the theme "Critical Rural Infrastructure for agriculture and rural development" for 2013-14.

According to Nabard, the critical infrastructure is defined as that infrastructure, which if created, will support increased credit flow under agriculture and benefit a large number of people.