Maharashtra to revive 5 rivers to ensure perennial water flow: CM Fadnavis

The rainfall in the Konkan region has provided farmers with just paddy cultivation as their mainstay. However, water conservation projects, which are under way in Marathwada or Vidarbha, cannot be applicable in the Konkan belt.

To Surendra Bulbule’s question on river linking, Fadnavis said, “The state’s priority is to complete ongoing irrigation projects requiring Rs 80,000 crore and water conservation projects to immediately tackle drought and double the income of farmers. The two river linking works have been shortlisted by the Centre, which will entirely fund the project.”

Fadnavis, replying to farmer Yashwant Pople’s query on micro-irrigation and its impact in agriculture, said adopting Israel’s fertigation technique to improve the nutrient amount in soil, the crop yield will increase under the micro-irrigation model as well as with the help of water management techniques.

He added, “With five river basins and big dams, we have as a rule made it mandatory to bring the entire sugarcane cultivation on drip irrigation within three years.” To provide uninterrupted power supply to farmers, the state will install a separate solar feeder for agriculture sector.

Fadnavis said the financial implications had been worked out. “Today, per unit power costs Rs 4.50 to Rs 5. We provide power to farmers at Re 1. Now this amount, which is given in cross subsidy working to Rs 3.5 to Rs 4 per unit, can be used for solar power installation,” he said. The solar feeder works much cheaper. The government’s solar feeder plan has been accepted by Niti Aayog which believes other states should also replicate the model.

Outlining the advantages of solar feeder, Fadnavis said, “The electricity cost on agriculture pumps operated on solar feeder will be economically cheaper, thus saving the government money.” Other queries raised by the farmers ranged from climate resilient agriculture techniques to higher investments in agriculture infrastructure.