Annual Report 2009-2010 - Department of Agriculture & Co-operation

Annual Report 2009-2010
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catchments are mostly inter-state in nature and
all categories of land, i.e., agricultural, wasteland,
and forest land, are taken up for treatment in an
integrated manner on a watershed approach
basis. The main objectives are:
Prevention of land degradation by
adopting a multi-disciplinary, integrated
approach for soil conservation and
watershed management in catchment
areas;
Improvement of land capability and
moisture regime in the watersheds;
Promotion of land use to match land
capability;
Prevention of runoff and premature
siltation of reservoirs, thereby sustaining
the irrigation potential and water storage
capacity of the various reservoirs across
the country.
14.10 Under this programme, various soil and
water conservation measures, namely, contour
vegetative hedges, contour/graded bunding,
horticulture plantation, contour/staggered
trenching, sowing and planting of plants, silvipasture
development, pasture development,
afforestation, farm ponds, percolation tanks, and
drainage line treatment (earthen loose boulders,
water harvesting structures, check bunds, spillways,
sediment detention structures, etc.), are
implemented on a watershed approach basis.
With a view to assessing the impact of soil and
water conservation measures, a system of
continuous monitoring of rainfall, runoff, and
sediment responses prior to, during, and after
treatment of the watershed are collected and
analysed for assessing the impact of watershed
interventions. For this purpose, an amount of
three per cent of the allocated funds are
earmarked for meeting the cost of establishment
of Sediment Monitoring Stations (SMS) and also
to meet the operational cost of these SMSs.
14.11 Under this programme, since its inception
and till 2008-09, an area of 71.17 lakh hectares
has been treated at an expenditure of Rs.
2,784.28 crore, including the Prime Minister's
package to Jammu and Kashmir, against an area
of 301.50 lakh hectares needing urgent
treatment. During 2009-10, an area of about 2.50
lakh hectares is targeted for treatment. Against
these targets, an area of 1.12 lakh hectares has
been treated up to December 2009.
14.12 Reclamation and Development of Alkali
and Acid Soils (RADAS): The centrally sponsored
programme RADAS has been restructured and
launched during the Eleventh Plan for the
development of alkali and acid soils in the states
of Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram in the North-
Eastern region and in Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab,
Karnataka, and Rajasthan.
14.13 The programme aims at improving
physical conditions and the productivity status
of soils for restoring optimum crop production.
The major components permissible under the
programme are on-farm development, i.e., land
levelling, bunding; community drainage systems;
application of soil amendments; organic
manures; crop/horticultural/fuel wood
production, etc.
14.14 Under this programme, up to 2008-09, an
area of 0.50 lakh hectares has been developed,
at an expenditure of Rs. 18.68 crore. During 2009-
10, an area of 0.40 lakh hectares has been
targeted for reclamation and development,
against which an area of 0.18 lakh hectares has
been reclaimed up to December 2009.
3. SPECIAL CENTRAL ASSISTANCE TO STATE
PLAN SCHEME:
14.15 Watershed Development Project in
Shifting Cultivation Areas (WDPSCA): The
WDPSCA scheme was launched during the
Eighth Five Year Plan in seven states of the North