The Hindu : Other States / Rajasthan News : Irrigation project may get Japanese aid

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Thursday, Sep 09, 2004

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Other States - Rajasthan

Irrigation project may get Japanese aid

By Our Special Correspondent

JAIPUR, SEPT. 8. The Japan Bank for International Cooperation has evinced a keen interest in providing assistance to an ambitious small irrigation project proposed to be launched in Rajasthan to increase agricultural production and make a permanent arrangement for irrigation.

The Rajasthan Government is considering implementation of the project on the lines of the water sector restructuring project -- launched last year -- which has shown encouraging results. The Japanese bank is seemingly impressed by the success of the restructuring project and has expressed its willingness to render help for betterment of irrigation management in the desert State.

The bank's representatives and senior officials of the State Government's Irrigation Department discussed the modalities of the proposed project at a preliminary meeting here on Tuesday. The bank's Deputy Directors, Tomohide Ichiguchi and Isao Yamashita, and Country Officer, Masanari Yanaguchi, were present on the occasion.

The State Irrigation Secretary, Rakesh Srivastava, said the project's ultimate objective would be poverty alleviation through financial benefits to the target groups comprising mainly the farmers. The schemes already operating in the irrigation sector have strengthened irrigation network and ensured people's participation in the Government's initiatives.

The bank's representatives suggested that the new project could make improvements in financial management, evolve better coordination with other related departments, decentralise the decision making process, strengthen the water users' committees and update the standards and manuals to meet the latest requirements.

The meeting was informed of various measures to strengthen the dams and canals across the State as part of the water sector restructuring project with the emphasis on agricultural development, which would be the common goal of all water, irrigation and agricultural schemes.

Mr. Srivastava pointed out that the State Government had accorded the highest priority to management of water for irrigation and apprised the bank's representatives of the difficulties faced in the implementation of the water sector restructuring project.

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