Hooda announces aid for water saving techniques

Chandigarh, Jun 17 (UNI) Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today announced a new scheme for providing financial assistance to the farmers in the state for adoption of water saving technologies.

He said a sum of Rs 225 lakh had been earmarked for the scheme for 2008-09, which aimed at ensuring economic use of precious water and encouraging farming community to adopt various water saving techniques.

Mr Hooda said that under the scheme farmers in the state would be encouraged to adopt three water saving technologies related to construction of tank, laying out underground pipeline system and sprinkler irrigation system by giving financial assistance to them so as to ensure judicious use of scarce irrigation water.

Giving details of the scheme, Mr Hooda said on the construction of a water tank, a cost subsidy at the rate of 33 per cent, subject to a maximum of Rs 50,000 per tank, would be provided to the farmers.

He said that the cost of construction of a normal size tank of 24x24x2.5 meter with a storing capacity of 1255.56 cum water would be Rs about 1.75 lakh. A sum of Rs 40 lakh had been earmarked to provide subsidy for 80 tanks during the year 2008-09, he added.

Similarly, a cost subsidy at the rate of 25 per cent, subject to a maximum of Rs 30,000, per beneficiary would be given for laying out under ground pipe line system, said Mr Hooda.

The cost of laying out this system for an average size of tubewell would be Rs 20,000 per hectare and a sum of Rs 145 lakh had been earmarked for the system to cover 2900 hectare area during the year 2008-09.

The Chief Minister said that cost subsidy at the rate of 50 per cent subject to a maximum of Rs 7,500 per hectare with maximum limit of five hectares would also be provided on installation of sprinkler irrigation system to all categories of farmers.

On an average, a sprinkler irrigation set of 75mm HDPF cost about Rs 38,000 per set and an outlay of Rs 40 lakh had been fixed to provide subsidy for 300 such sets during the year 2008-09, he added.

He said that Director, Agriculture would be the controlling officer of the scheme and Panchkula, Karnal, Bhiwani, Rohtak and Gurgaon would be the headquarters of the scheme.

UNI MA BK MP VC1808