Maharashtra Budget: Govt to relaunch Jalyukta Shivar Yojana as lesser rainfall expected this year, says Fadnavis

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Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is also the state Finance Minister, on Thursday presented the Eknath Shinde-led government's first budget for the year 2023-24 in the state Assembly.

Addressing the issue of irrigation and water shortage, Fadnavis said that lesser rainfall is expected this year due to El Nino.

"Monsoon rainfall is expected to be below average this year due to El Nino. Therefore, water conservation of every drop of rain is essential. Jalyukta Shivar Abhiyan was implemented in 22,500 villages between 2015 and 2019. 20,544 villages became water-sufficient and 27 lakh thousand cubic meter water storage capacity was created. 39 lakhs hectares of agriculture got protected irrigation facility. This hugely popular and successful scheme was discontinued in the past. For the welfare of farmers, Jalyukta Shivar Yojana 2.0 will be started again, and it will be implemented in 5,000 villages," he said.

Dharan Galyukt Shivar

Fadnavis further said that Under the Galmukt Dharan Galyukt Shivar launched in 2017, seven crore cubic meters of silt was removed from 8,500 water bodies.

"It was added in more than 12,500 villages, in the fields of more than 66,000 farmers. This achieved the twin objectives of increasing agricultural productivity and substantially increasing the storage capacity of dams. It is estimated that there are still 44 crores cubic meters of silt in the reservoirs. This scheme will be extended for the next three years," he added.

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The Maharashtra deputy chief minster said that an outlay of Rs 3,886 crores is proposed under scheme expenditure for Soil and Water Conservation Department in the year 2023-24.

"A total outlay of Rs. 29,163 crores is proposed for scheme expenditure for First Amrut- Sustainable Farming-Prosperous Farmers," he added.