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Drought lessons: Karnataka government set to expand scope of Krishi Bhagya scheme
The Agriculture Department is not only geared to increase the number of beneficiaries, but also implement the scheme in tail-end portions of irrigation command areas
After a year of severe drought, the State government has decided to ensure the sustainability of farm activities by focusing on its flagship programme, the Krishi Bhagya, which aims to store rainwater in farm ponds for crops during the summer.
The government has decided to not only provide more funds than what has been allocated in the Budget, but is also set to expand the scheme’s scope by removing restrictions on taking it to the tail-end portions of the irrigation command areas.
Issues in tail-end areas
Agriculture Minister N. Cheluvarayaswamy told The Hindu that there was a dire need to expand the scope of the scheme and implement it even in the tail-end portions of the command areas, as these were hardly getting adequate quantum of irrigation water from canals.
Emphasising on the importance of the Krishi Bhagya scheme in turning dry-land farming into a sustainable activity through the natural method of stored rainwater, the Minister said his department was gearing up to ensure that 30,000 to 40,000 farm ponds were built this year.
The State Budget earmarked ₹200 crore for the project that includes a contribution of ₹100 crore from the Revenue Department. However, the total financial requirement is bound to surpass the budgetary allocation, considering the number of farm ponds being planned this year, he said.
In all 31 districts
The scheme was generally being implemented in four dry climatic zones, comprising 106 taluks spread over 24 districts. However, it will be expanded to all 236 taluks of 31 districts this time.
The Krishi Bhagya scheme was started by then Agriculture Minister Krishna Byre Gowda in 2014-15, to ensure sustainable farming in a State like Karnataka which stands next only to Rajasthan in terms of the extent of drought-prone land. But the erstwhile BJP dispensation discontinued the scheme since 2021-22. It was re-introduced by the Congress government in 2023-24.
A total of 2,89,827 farm ponds were built under the first phase of the scheme which was implemented from 2014-15 to 2020-21. These ponds have the total capacity to store 1,472.31 lakh cubic metres of water.
What is the scheme
The scheme comprises the components of building farm ponds, providing polythene lining to them to ensure that the water does not percolate, erecting a fence around the pond, installing a pump for lifting the water, and adopting drip/sprinkler irrigation methods to effectively supply water. Under the scheme the government provides subsidy for all the components.
About 64% of Karnataka’s cultivable area is rain-fed. Despite the dependence on rain, the State’s rain-fed areas contribute to 55% of food production and 75% of oil seed production.
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