CAPAM recognises Gujarat's innovative Khet-Talavadi scheme

Ahmedabad, Oct 31 (UNI) An innovative Khet Talavadi scheme introduced by Gujarat government has received an international recognition from Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management (CAPAM).

The Certificate of Achievement was presented to Gujarat Government (Rural Development) Secretary Vipul Mittra during the President's Banquet at the CAPAM Biennial Conference held on October 21-25 at Sydney, Australia for his presentation on Gujarat's people-centered Khet Talavadi scheme for rain water conservation.

CAPAM has recognised innovative Khet-Talavadi (Farm Ponds) scheme of Gujarat government as a significant accomplishment. During 2004-05, under the Khet Talavadi Scheme, 1.3 lakh farm ponds were created in a ''100-day campaign'' through farmers' participation.

The Rural Development Department acted as a nodal agency for this unique and innovative scheme. This 100-day campaign created an additional potential of a whopping two million cubic meters of water conservation and generated six million mandays of labour by 1.5 lakh Below Poverty Line (BPL) labourers. Almost 50,000 tonnes of foodgrains were disbursed as wages and no cash government fund was spent at all.

It is pertinent to note at this juncture that 64 per cent area of Gujarat is drought-prone and this scheme led to boost in farm productivity. The Commonwealth Association recognised this campaign as a unique innovative intervention by the state government. Ths study conducted by A F Ferguson&Co has also highly commended the results of the campaign.

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