Our country is an Agro based economy and always has been. Being the fertile landmass, agriculture and its ancillary flourished across the breadth and length of the nation.
Unfortunately, this major economic activity and revenue source hardly ever received the necessary innovative development.
Every year, the farmer would pray with folded hands for sufficient rainfall but many times heavy monsoon or drought could ruin the crop.
There weren’t any measures to control such an irresolute situation and after every few years, the farmer would be facing the brunt of uncertainty.
Constructing huge dams on major rivers was a solution no doubt, but what about farms in interior remote areas, far away from extensive rivers?
Small and marginal farmers were worst affected but no sustainable, concrete solution was brought for Sixty plus years of Congress rule.
Narendra Modi ji became the Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2001. Gujarat, at that time, had turned into a drought-prone state and was suffering from insufficient rainfall for the past Five years.
Modiji, as Chief Minister of Gujarat, took some crucial steps to construct Check-dams on smaller rivers and tributaries. He brought the Drip Irrigation technique to provide just sufficient water for the marginal farms and as a result, Agriculture growth ascended to two digits.
In 2014, when Narendra Modi ji became PM, his government initiated Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojna, as a national mission to improve farm productivity and ensure better utilisation of the resources in the country.
The decision of implementation of PMKSY was taken on 1st July 2015 at the cabinet committee meeting on Economic Affairs. (CCEA), Under the Jal Shakti Ministry, Ministry of Rural Development and Ministry of Agriculture. The scheme has been approved with an outlay of 50,000 Crore budget for the period of Five years. (2015-2016 to 2019-20).
The significant objectives of PMKSY are a) Expansion of cultivable areas under irrigation (हर खेत को पानी). b) Convergence of investment in irrigation at the field level. c) Improvement On-Farm Water Use efficiency to reduce wastage of water. d) Enhance the adoption of being precise in irrigation and other water saving technologies (more crop per drop).
The plan additionally calls for bringing ministries, offices, organisations, research and financial institutions occupied with creation and recycling of water under one platform, to consider and create a holistic and exhaustive outlook of the whole water cycle.
The goal is to optimal water budgeting in all sectors with the tagline of ‘more crop per day’.
PMKSY not only focuses on creating sources for assured irrigation but also creates protective irrigation by harnessing rainwater at micro level through “Jal Sanchay” and “Jal Sinchan”.
Micro irrigation is also incentivised through subsidy to ensure “Per drop, More crop”.
To apply online for availing benefits of PMKSY, the applicant Farmer is required to visit the official website of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana I.e. http//PMKSY.gov.in/.
After logging on the page, the applicant can get all the information related to Agricultural irrigation schemes, by going to the About section in the website.
The documents required to apply online are as follows :
A) Aadhar Card of the applicant farmer.
B) Identity Card
C) Housing Certificate
D) Farm Papers
E) Bank Account Passbooks
F) Mobile Number
G) Passport Size photo
Farmers of any category are eligible to avail this scheme. It is mandatory for all the applicant farmers to have their own agricultural land. Under this scheme, members of Self help groups, Trusts, CO-operative Societies, Incorporated Companies, Producer Farmer’s Groups are eligible to take benefits. Farmers who have been cultivating the land under the lease agreement for the last seven years can also avail the advantage of the PM Krishi Irrigation Scheme.
Only the farmers who are Bharatiya citizens and are residing in Bharat, can become the beneficiary of a PradhanMantri Agricultural Irrigation Scheme.
Water-Jal is an essential, significant and scarce resource. Saving every drop of water for the growing population is a tough task for any country.
With increasing pollution and population, Mother Earth is likely to face an extreme water crisis in coming decades.
To overcome such arduous times for generation next, certain measures were essential to be implemented currently.
Hon. The Prime Minister took the initiative of preserving the water for present as well as future.
The micro irrigation ensures higher profits, reduced labour costs and less energy costs. It increases Water saving and Water Use Efficiency (WUE) and Higher fertilizer-Use efficiency (FUE). It reduces soil loss, improves crop quality and higher yields.
Umashankar Verma and Subhash Verma are two farmer brothers, farming on their land, 40 kms away from Lucknow in Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh.
They have adopted the Sprinkler method of irrigation for growing Banana on their field.
Their production has increased by 25 to 30 %. The yield required lesser labour and grew faster, needing lesser time. It also saved fertiliser upto 75%.
Above all, Sprinkle irrigation method has saved unnecessary usage of extra water, improving the quality of their produce.
Hence, adopting PMKSY has been a boon for farmers like the Verma brothers and many more.
The Modi Government has ensured doubling the income of Bharatiya farmers by 2022.
Such innovative steps ensure growth in the income of farmers and motivates them to continue the farming activity with technological advancement rather than taking up White collar jobs.
Visionary Prime Minister’s insightful and ingenious steps have carved the route to Naya Bharat.