The Hindu : Karnataka News : Govt. urged to seek more funds under AIBP

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Oct 18, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

Govt. urged to seek more funds under AIBP

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE, OCT. 17. Various farmers' organisations have urged the State Government to seek more funds from the Centre under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) to complete ongoing irrigation projects.

Addressing presspersons here on Saturday, R. Doraiswamy, executive director, Pragathi, an NGO, and Ranganagowda Patil, director, Malaprabha Water Users' Association, Bagalkot, said the Centre had reduced the release of funds to Karnataka under the AIBP on the grounds that the State was going slow on work on irrigation projects. The State Government should take up the issue with the Centre to restore the flow of funds under the AIBP, they said. The Malaprabha Basin was facing a scarcity of water for several years. An attempt should be made to provide water to the Malaprabha irrigation project from the Krishna River, they said.

Referring to ineffective functioning of water users' associations (WUAs), they said funds provided for WUAs were inadequate. A policy was needed on sharing water rates between the associations and the Government. Without realising the benefits of irrigation projects, some farmers had sold their lands and become landless. To restrict farmers from selling land in the command area, the Irrigation Act was amended during the term of the previous Government.

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