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economics of on-farm development - Institute for Social and ...

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Regi<strong>on</strong>al imbalances in irrigati<strong>on</strong> <strong>development</strong> are very c<strong>on</strong>spicuous. For<br />

example. 10 out <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> 14 (72 %) completed irrigati<strong>on</strong> projects are located in<br />

Palakkad <strong>and</strong> Thrissur districts. The skewed distributi<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> irrigati<strong>on</strong> projects<br />

needs to be explained in tenns <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the specitic objective <strong>for</strong> which the irrigati<strong>on</strong><br />

schemes have been designed in the state. Since the objective <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> major <strong>and</strong><br />

medium projects is to provide irrigati<strong>on</strong> <strong>for</strong> paddy. thc projects might have been<br />

c<strong>on</strong>centrated where agro-c1imatie c<strong>on</strong>diti<strong>on</strong>s are more c<strong>on</strong>ducive <strong>for</strong> paddy<br />

cultivati<strong>on</strong>.<br />

In spite <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the c<strong>on</strong>siderable investment in the <strong>development</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> major!<br />

medium irrigati<strong>on</strong> systems. the potential created <strong>and</strong> utilised is neither<br />

commensurate with the scale <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> investment made nor In terms <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> area expansi<strong>on</strong><br />

as targeted under various plans. The area brought under irrigati<strong>on</strong> upto 1998-99<br />

including minor irrigati<strong>on</strong> has been 4.45 lakh ha. (net) <strong>and</strong> 7.25 lakh ha. (gross).<br />

The overall scenario <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> per<strong>for</strong>mance <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> irrigati<strong>on</strong> sector, particularly major <strong>and</strong><br />

medium irrigati<strong>on</strong> projects in the state indicate grave mismatch between<br />

expectati<strong>on</strong> <strong>and</strong> actual realisati<strong>on</strong>.<br />

The per<strong>for</strong>mance <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> major <strong>and</strong> medium irrigati<strong>on</strong> sector measured 111<br />

terms <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> utilisati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> potential created has been 79 per cent in the case ot<br />

completed schemes <strong>and</strong> <strong>on</strong>ly less than 22 per cent in respect <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>on</strong>-going<br />

irrigati<strong>on</strong> schemes, with an overall rate <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> utilisati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> less than 47 per cent. On<br />

the other. the problems such as cost <strong>and</strong> time O\'er runs. caused by enormous<br />

delays in completi<strong>on</strong>. have been assuming alarming proporti<strong>on</strong>s. While the cost<br />

escalati<strong>on</strong> in nominal terms has been 611 per cent in the case <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> completed<br />

irrigati<strong>on</strong> schemes. it was 1633 per cent in the case <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>on</strong>going schemes. The<br />

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