With the importance of sustainable development of rainfed/degraded land in mind, the Department of Land Resources organized a National Watershed Conference on July 14, 2022 in New Delhi. Giriraj Singh, Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, presided over the inaugural session.
Faggan Singh Kulaste, Minister of State for Rural Development and Steel, and Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, Minister of State for Rural Development and Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and Panchayati Raj, Kapil Moreshwar Patil graced the occasion. The Conference was attended by Secretaries and other Senior Officers from Central Government Ministries/Departments such as Jal Shakti, Rural Development, NITI Aayog, Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Animal Husbandry, National Rainfed Area Authority (NRAA), and others.
The CEO, NARA, and other senior officials were also present. Approximately 600-700 representatives from across the country were also present. The Conference takes place against the backdrop of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi increasing the country's commitment to restore degraded land from 21 million hectares to 26 million hectares while holding the Presidency of COP-14, UNCCD in 2019.
The Conference was primarily focused on three themes:
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Production Systems (Plantation and Horticulture)
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Springshed development
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Amrit Sarovar in Watershed project areas
On this occasion, the Minister also unveiled an e-Book on the Department of Land Resources' Achievements and MIS 2.0 for the Watershed Development Component of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (WDC-PMKSY).
In his address to the State Ministers and Senior Officials of the various States, Giriraj Singh urged them to learn and adopt the best practices of other states in order to facilitate cross-learning, as well as to disseminate Best Practices under WDC-PMKSY 2.0 and strengthen the focus on doubling farmer income through the Production System and rejuvenating water bodies through Amrit Sarovars.
Giriraj Singh stated that while working on degraded land through watershed projects in states and UTs, efforts should be made to significantly contribute to doubling farmers' income. He emphasized the importance of Afforestation, Horticulture, and Integrated Farming Systems, among other things, in watershed project areas, so that these activities can help farmers earn more money. He emphasized the importance of States/UTs making efforts to support beneficiaries while implementing projects in fields so that they can take the best care of their landholdings.
DoLR invited Padma Awardees like Popatrao Pawar (Hiware Bazar model) and Jadav Payeng (Forest man of India) to bring about the desired impact in the implementation of watershed projects, and experts like B M S Rathore (former Chief Policy Advisor, ICIMOD) and D S Meena, Addl. Secretary, Govt. of Uttarakhand were invited to cover the role of springshed development.
In his address, Ajay Tirkey, Secretary, DoLR, stated that WDC-PMKSY has the potential to restore rainfed/degraded land and become even more indispensable in light of rising population and decreasing per capita agricultural land availability. He observed that nearly 67 percent of the rural population is heavily dependent on agriculture and that restoring rainfed/degraded land could be beneficial to them.
He stated that the scheme's activities would aid in the prevention of land degradation, the restoration of productivity, the enhancement of biodiversity, ecological services, and many other benefits. WDC-PMKSY 2.0 would, more importantly, discourage farmers from leaving their farmlands, thereby reducing migration, which causes a mushrooming of forced/unplanned urbanization and other avoidable consequences.
Prime Minister Modi issued the clarion call for Mission Amrit Sarovar. WDC-PMKSY 2.0 has enormous potential to create Amrit Sarovars in WDC-PMKSY 2.0 project areas, and states/UTs were urged to take appropriate action.
