The Mission Kakatiya launched by the State government has not only helped revive tanks but also led to improving the ground water level besides ensuring better crop yield.
Stating this in reply to a question in the Assembly on Monday, Irrigation Minister T. Harish Rao said the NABARD report had also appreciated the numerous benefits accrued with Mission Kakatiya. As a matter of fact, the project has even attracted other States and has become a role model for them to implement the same in their own States, he added.
According to the Irrigation Minister, seven crore tractor loads of mud removed from the tanks beds were utilized by the farmers in their lands for better crop yield. The Maharashtra Minister Girish Mahajan was so impressed with the Mission Kakatiya that he had said a similar project would be implemented in his State for revival of 8,000 tanks. Thus, while Mission Kakatiya was being appreciated by many others all over the country, but some jealousy leaders in our State were criticizing it with political vendetta, he lamented and added that the fourth phase of the project would commence during the end of this year.
Harish Rao said after revival of tanks, the irrigated area has increased by 51.5 percent. While the underground water level during 2013-14 was just 6.91 meters, as a result of Mission Kakatiya, the same has increased to 9.2 meters in the year 2016-17. Like wise, when compared to 2013-14, during 2016-17 fish production had increased from 36 to 39 percent and immensely benefited the fishermen’s community. Even the water availability in the dried up bore wells had increased by 17 percent. Though the ayacut under tanks is to the tune of 24 lakh acres, during 203-14 only 10.71 lakh acres could be irrigated while in 2016-17 the irrigated area rose to 15.99 lakh acres, he explained.
The Irrigation Minister further said as the result of revival of tanks due to Mission Kakatiya, over five lakh acres of more land could be brought under irrigation and help raise more crop. What is more, the silt generated due to digging of the tanks for revival was put to use by the farmers in their lands and this helped increase the yield besides reducing the quantum of fertilizer inputs. The TRS Government was committed to revive all the tanks in the State, he added. (NSS)