PM Krishi Sinchayee Yojana

1. Production Systems (Plantation and Horticulture),
2. Springshed development and
3. Amrit Sarovar in Watershed project areas.

• On this occasion, the Minister also launched an e-Book on the Achievements of the Department of Land Resources and MIS 2.0 for the Watershed Development Component of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (WDC-PMKSY).
• The states to learn and adopt the best practices of other States to facilitate cross-learning, disseminating Best Practices under WDC-PMKSY 2.0.
• To strengthen the focus on doubling Farmer's Income through the Production System and rejuvenating water bodies through Amrit Sarovar.
• Working on degraded land by implementing watershed projects in States and UTs, efforts should be made to substantially contribute to doubling farmers' income.
• The role of Afforestation, Horticulture, Integrated Farming Systems etc. in Watershed project areas.
• These activities could prove to be supportive of raising farmers' incomes to a large extent.
• States and UTs should make efforts to implement the projects in fields to support beneficiaries. It could be taking the best care of their landholdings.
• WDC-PMKSY has the potential to restore rainfed and degraded land and become all the more indispensable given the growing population and reduction of per capita availability of agricultural land.
• Almost 67 per cent of the rural population is heavily dependent on agriculture and restoration of rainfed or degraded land could prove a boon for them.
• The activities under the scheme would help arrest the degradation of larestorering productive enhancing biodiversity, ecological services and many other benefits.
• It would more importantly be dissuading farmers to leave their farmlands.
• To help reduce migration which causes mushrooming of force and unplanned urbanization and leads to other related avoidable implications.
• The clarion call of Mission Amrit Sarovar has been given by Prime Minister Modi.
• WDC-PMKSY 2.0 has got immense potential to create Amrit Sarovar in WDC-PMKSY 2.0 project areas and therefore States and UTs were urged to take suitable initiative.

Watershed Development component of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (WDC-PMKSY)

• Department of Land Resources (DoLR) has been mandated by the Government of India to implement a Centrally Sponsored Scheme namely, the Watershed Development Component of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (WDC-PMKSY).
• DoLR has financially supported 6382 watershed projects in States and UTs with a target of 29.57 million ha under WDC-PMKSY 1.0 has successfully been concluded in March 2022.

• 5693 projects have been reported as completed by States and UTs covering an area of 27.10 million ha so far.
• In December 2021 DoLR has also rolled out WDC-PMKSY 2.0 with a Central allocation of Rs. 8134 crores and a physical target of 4.95 million ha.
• A total of 1099 projects have already been sanctioned under WDC 2.0.
• It was imperative on the part of the Department, with the help of the National Rainfed Area Authority (NRAA), DoLR revised the existing Guidelines to make them more inclusive, scientific and explicitly production systems oriented.

Springshed development under WDC-PMKSY 2.0

• It has been incorporated as a new activity within the project areas of the watershed.
• It was based on the recommendation of NITI Aayog in collaboration with ICIMOD published a report in 2017-18 showing almost 50 per cent of 4 to 5 million springs in India are either drying up or are on the verge of drying up.
• The development of springshed in mountainous regions would help address the issues of ecological, economic and biodiversity security of the country.
• It is also important because the Springshed development has been incorporated as one of the new activities.
• This could be of paramount importance, especially for the Himalayan States and UTs and other mountainous regions of the country.
• They are strategically, ecologically, economically socio-politically are of high significance.
• Ironically, the Himalayan States and UTs receive plenty of rains during the monsoon season but during the lean period, they face the stark problem of paucity of drinking water.
• Conversely, the fragile Himalayan Landscape also encounters ecological degradation and landslide problems very frequently.
• By rejuvenating springs in mountainous regions under the project areas of WDC-PMKSY 2.0, all states and UTs could immensely be benefitted.
• DoLR has taken a lead to capitalize on the potential of WDC-PMKSY 2.0 and contribute substantially towards doubling farmers' income, Nationally Determined Contributions, Land Degradation Neutrality Sustainable Development Goals etc. to transform India.