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NABARD Watershed Development Project Background
The Union Budget for 1999-2000 announced the creation of Watershed
Development Fund in NABARD.
In pursuance thereof, the Board of Directors of NABARD approved
the proposal of creation of WDF
with a Rs.100 Crores contribution from NABARD and a matching
upfront contribution of Rs.100 Crores from the Government of India
raising the size of the fund to Rs.200 Crores.
Objective of WDF:
The objective of the Fund is to
spread the message of participatory watershed development
and to replicate and consolidate the isolated successful initiatives
under different programmes in the government, semi-government and
NGO sectors. Watershed community, Central and
State Government departments, banks, agricultural research institutions,
NGOs and NABARD will act in concert to make a breakthrough in participatory
watershed development.
Salient features of WDF:
.
Two-thirds
of the fund (Rs.133 Crores) will be used for providing loans to the
identified State Governments for Watershed Development and one-third
(Rs.67 Crores) would be used for grant-based activities covering promotional
efforts, capacity building, replication of the Indo-German Watershed
model being implemented in Maharastra and self-help group related
activities particularly targeted at women in the project area.
·
The
rate of interest of the loan would be 9.5% per annum and the interest
would be payable at quarterly intervals. The repayment period of loan will be 9 years including
grace period of 3 years.
·
One
hundred districts from fourteen states will be covered under WDF within
a span of 3 years. The States which will be targeted are - Andhra
Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharastra, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh,
Bihar, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Rajasthan,
Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
Criteria for Selection of Districts:
The districts for launching the
projects will be selected in consultation with the concerned State
Government. For selecting districts, preference is given where the
percentage of irrigated area is less than 30%, where there is a concentration
of SC/ST population and where the extent of rainfed farming and potential
for watershed development is large.
Priority will be given to the districts having the lowest proportion
of irrigated area in the State, subject to the availability of basic
ingredients needed for successful implementation of watershed development
projects.
Criteria for Selection of NGOs/PFAs and Watersheds:
The NGOs/PFA will be identified
based on their past track record and experience in implementing participatory
watershed development projects (Criteria for selection of NGOs). These agencies will then select
Watersheds based on criteria like interest of the village/watershed
community to implement a participatory watershed project, necessity
for such an intervention etc. (Criteria for selection of Watersheds). The State Steering Committee which
oversees the programme at the State level, ratifies the Districts,
NGOs and the Watersheds identified.
Present Status in Karnataka:
MOU for 10 Crores loan from NABARD
has already been signed on 13th Nov. 2000 between Government of Karnataka
by Principal Secretary to Govt., Agriculture and Horticulture Dept.
and NABARD by Chief General Manager.
Subsequently, the Government has cleared list of 10 districts
in Karnataka for implementation of WDF.
Further, list of 7 districts is submitted to the Principal
Secretary to Govt., Agriculture & Horticulture Dept., for approval.
Meantime, the District Watershed Development Officers have
been instructed to delineate sub-watersheds ranging from 500 hects.
to 1000 hects. in each of the taluka in all the 10 districts.
Further, delineation of micro--watersheds to the extent of
250 hect. in each of the sub-watershed for capacity building programme
before Jan. 2001 is under progress. We are hopeful of completing the
capacity building phase before March, 2001.
Two meetings were held under the Chairmanship of Addl. Chief
Secretary and Development Commissioner for review of status of WDF. Further, 12 officers from different
districts were deputed for basic exposure about the project at Ahmednagar
in Maharastra. NABARD
has increased number of districts from 10 to 17. Accordingly, Government of Karnataka has
agreed to implement the project in 17 districts and the implementation
is under various stages. Guidelines for implementation
of WDF both for Department Officers and NGOs has been finalised.
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