CHENNAI: Agreement on the Rs. 2,547 crore Irrigated Agriculture Modernisation and Water Resources Management (IAMWARM) project will be signed shortly in New Delhi, the Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi informed the Assembly on Saturday.

"This will be a model scheme for the country and will enhance livelihood of farmers in the State."

Bid documents

On January 23, the World Bank approved the project, he said.

A senior Government official said the bid documents were under preparation. After completing the pre-launch work, the Government proposed to start the project in the next financial year.

It will issue the order shortly, according to a senior official of the Public Works Department, the nodal agency of the project. The duration of the project execution is six years.

The project is designed to modernise irrigation systems covering over 600,000 hectares in 63 selected sub-basins throughout the State.

It is aimed at achieving higher productivity of water (more crops, cash and jobs per drop of water through a combination of economic, institutional, agronomic, hydrological and ecological methods), increasing the efficiency of use of water, diversified agriculture as found suitable for different agro-climatic conditions in the State and increasing farm income through animal husbandry and aquaculture.

Better prices are sought to be ensured through better marketing strategy and information technology intervention.

Though the project preparation was on for the last three-four years, the authorities, at the later stage of the formulation, included restoration of water bodies in the project and improvement of the management of the Cooum river sub-basin. Public Works Minister Durai Murugan has been emphasising the need for cleaning up the Cooum.

As part of the project, the Water Resources Organisation and Water User Associations will be strengthened to improve irrigation service delivery. Farm incomes are expected to rise in the project area households and it is estimated that about 50,000 rural farm jobs will be created.

For implementation, a multi-disciplinary project unit comprising representatives of different departments, including Agriculture, Agricultural Engineering/Marketing, Animal Husbandry, Fisheries, Social Welfare and IT, has been functioning.

The World Bank and its concessionary lending arm, International Development Association (IDA), will fund the project to the tune of $ 485 million.

The IAMWARM project is a follow-up to the Water Resources Consolidation Project.

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