Recent case of Sabarimala shrine in Kerala goes against gender justice (basic tenet of our fundamental rights).
The question comes to the forefront of Supreme Court, whether women can be barred entry to the temples demands solutions that agree with constitutional guarantee of equality, nondiscrimination and freedom of religion!
Let’s put our hands together to find solutions. Shall we?
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Question of Gender Justice in Religious institutions (Temples)
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Irrigation In India – PMKSY, AIBP, Watershed Management, Neeranchan, etc.
Neeranchal National Watershed Project
As a part GS-3 – Irrigation systems, We need to focus on relevant projects/schemes launched in 2015-16. We will try to bring all such important projects/schemes. One such project is, “Neeranchal” for the Watershed Component of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayi Yojana (PMKSY), Let’s see it in brief!
What is a watershed?
A watershed also known as drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain, melting snow or ice converges to a single point at a lower elevation, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake etc.
What is watershed management?
- Watershed management is an adaptive, comprehensive, integrated multi-resource management planning process that seeks to balance healthy ecological, economic, and cultural/social conditions within a watershed.
- Watershed management serves to integrate planning for land and water; it takes into account both ground and surface water flow, recognizing and planning for the interaction of water, plants, animals and human land use found within the physical boundaries of a watershed.
What are the objectives of Neeranchal?
- The Neeranchal Project will support PMKSY to improve watershed management practices and demonstrate measurable results in selected sub-watersheds
- It will introduce new hydrological approaches and innovative tools for community participation with a more integrated watershed planning process
- Pilot new field practices that will improve conservation outcomes, water availability, agricultural yields and climate resilience, and scale up a more effective monitoring and evaluation system to track performance
- The project will be implemented by the Ministry of Rural Development over a six-year period (2016-21)
Let’s first learn about Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY)
- PMKSY is a central scheme that aims at providing irrigation facilities to every village in the country by converging ongoing irrigation schemes
- The vision of extending the coverage of irrigation ‘Har Khet Ko Paani’ and improving water use efficiency ‘More crop per drop’ in a focused manner
- With end to end solution on source creation, distribution, management, field application and extension activities
- A dynamic annual fund allocation methodology mandates states, to allot more funds to irrigation sectors for becoming eligible to access funds under this scheme, is being considered
The Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana programme should concentrate on 2 important things –
- First, it should quickly put to use 20–40 million ha of unutilised irrigation potential created in major, medium and minor irrigation projects
- Second, it should provide better quality power rations to farmers during the time of peak irrigation demand.
- Madhya Pradesh has done precisely this and multiplied the state’s irrigated area quickly, at small incremental cost, delivering double-digit agricultural growth
What about funding ?
- The Government of India and the World Bank have signed a US$ 178.50 million credit for the Neeranchal National Watershed Project to improve watershed management in rural rainfed areas
- The credit will support the watershed activities of the PMKSY in selected states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha and Rajasthan
- It will cover about 400 sub-watersheds of about 5,000 ha each and reach approximately 482,000 farmer households and two million people
- The credit is from the International Development Association (IDA) – the World Bank’s concessionary lending arm with a maturity of 25 years, including a 5 year grace period
[IDA – International financial institution which offers concessional loans and grants to the world’s poorest developing countries. The IDA is a member of the World Bank Group]
Concerns that will be addressed by Neeranchal-
- Bring about institutional changes in watershed and rainfed agricultural management practices in India
- Build systems that ensure watershed programmes and rainfed irrigation management practices are better focused, and more coordinated, and have quantifiable results
- Devise strategies for the sustainability of improved watershed. management practices in programme areas, even after the withdrawal of project support
- Through the watershed plus approach, support improved equity, livelihoods, and incomes through forward linkages, on a platform of inclusiveness and local participation
What are the benefits?
- Lead to reducing surface runoff of rainwater
- It will increase recharge of groundwater and better availability of water in rainfed areas
- It resulting in incremental rainfed agriculture productivity, enhanced milk yield and increased cropping intensity through better convergence related programmes in project areas
- It will strengthen and provide technical assistance to enhance delivery capacity
- This is an area development programme and all people living in the project area will be benefitted
What are the challenges ahead?
- Enhanced participation of communities, building stronger capacities and systems to plan, implement, monitor and post-project sustainability of local institutions and assets
- These challenges, if not resolved, can result in implementation delays, slow disbursements and benefits
Want to read more?
- Irrigation In India: Issues & Developments
- Ministry of Agriculture: Important Updates
- State Of Indian Agriculture
Published with inputs from Arun
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Hobby = books? Who is reading what (non-text book)
Lakshmikanth gets boring… and i am just starting out with polity for 2016… any book lovers of the fiction category here?
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Optionals going out this year?
Many of us are asking whether to choose this subject or the other but are optionals going out this year? Last year they released the notifications just in the nick of time and CSAT was made passing only…
Except for pure humanities optionals, I don’t think others would be having much problem…. I have philosophy
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Is Jalikattu similar to the western bull fighting sport?
I am trying to understand similarities here… when we say that it is cruel etc. are the references and images drawn from the west?
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Trivia enthusiasts? The non serious, non IAS kinds?
Hello,
Preparing for civils smtyms gets boring… are there any trivia enthusiasts here? I have seen a lot of great quizzes over time and history geography yaar rakhne ka easy way hai that you watch a few quizzes (heritage india, abc etc etc) and hope that few of the questions stick with you….
I will just start with a few…
#1. What’s common with these people in the images? What’s the link which connects all of them?
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New low in intolerance debates in india – Pakka essay question aaega
Have you checked this news??
Kapil Sharma And Others React After Kiku Sharda aka Palak Of Comedy Nights With Kapil Arrested
Kiku Sharda has been arrested for mimicking and hurting religious sentiments of self-claimed Godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.
Has anyone watched this??
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Hard targets
The Finance Minister is a worried man. It’s Budget time after all. The top season for unreasonable demands has just begun at the ministry.
On hearing that the FM met with the “captains” of the Indian industry, Mr Bedi alleged that this kind of a “cricket huddle” should not be allowed in the budgeting process. After all, the Finance Ministry is the Deep Deficit Cutting Association aka DDCA. With personal blessings from AAP, he has asked that the FM step down from this DDCA as well.
But the muffler has more to demand from the business suit. “Why is the FM suddenly backtracking on the fiscal consolidation path for the year 2016-17? We are against this. We are basically against everything that the government does. Book the Jantar Mantar for a Dharna! Be fiscally prudent, keep deficits in check. And be physically prudent, wear a muffler in Delhi.”
“Hmph! Prudent or not, he is definitely impudent,” is what the FM was thinking. But then not for nothing is our FM known for keeping his temper in the most trying of circumstances. The good man sent an entire team from Delhi School of Economics to the AAP office to teach them the basic Keynesian model. “When the private investments won’t pick up, the Government spending has to spur the system. Hence, we may have to go soft on fiscal targets next year, so that growth can be on track.” AAP reacted by sending leftists from JNU to the Finance Ministry, causing a nervous breakdown amongst the younger, innocent economists at the Ministry.
In a wild attempt to get some economic sense going, the FM gave personal assurances to AAP that fiscal targets will only be softened for those financial years ending in odd numbers. Thus, we will stick to the FY16 target of 3.9 per cent like a leech, but we go soft in FY17. AAP has finally okayed the proposal.
The NCP in the meanwhile, believes that it has a master solution for the entire macroeconomic framework. It has asked that tax exemptions be given for not only buying the second home, but also the third, fourth and fifth properties. The moment you give these exemptions, people will start buying properties. Voila! Construction will begin anew and all problems concerning low private investment levels will disappear. Not only that, but as this huge inventory of unsold houses reduces, the banking system will also become robust. This is good fiscal and monetary policy, all rolled into one. Dr Rajan, who shuddered after receiving such out-of-the-bank ideas, has said curtly that there is no need for the NCP to get worried about banks.
The UPA scion, fresh from the Europe sojourn, insists that the Indian states are like the European Union. “I know what needs to be done in the Budget! We need to have a common market and a common currency!” On being informed that we already do (just pass the GST!), the UPA has declared that all brand new ideas pertaining to Europeanising Indian markets will only be discussed on the Arnab Goswami show. Rumour is that Mr Goswami has gone into hiding and will only be seen post-Budget.
The PM has suggested from a remote location in Antarctica, that the FM incorporate a “Lambi Udaan, Sasti Udaan” Yojana to give a boost to the airline industry. Subsidies could be declared for frequent fliers.
The poor FM is left wondering how to handle flights of fancy.
