Evergreening the Electorate
By providing water, cash and insurance cover to farmers, the TRS hopes to reap another victory in 2019
Thaneeru Harish Rao is a man in a hurry. Following Rythu Bandhu, chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao’s programme to extend seasonal agricultural grants to farmers, Harish Rao has spent the last four years as Telangana’s irrigation minister to extend irrigation to farms. In this time, he has provided new irrigation facilities to 1 million monsoon-dependent acres. That, he claims, is twice the acreage irrigated in 10 years under the Congress.
Mission Kakatiya, which aims to renovate and restore some 65,000 irrigation tanks across the state, has already revived 18,000 water bodies. This, and the Rs 80,190 crore Kaleshwaram Project on the Godavari that will bring irrigation to 17 of the state’s 31 districts following final clearances from the Centre, could well change the face of agriculture in Telangana.
The minister attributes it all to “the chief minister’s vision for a green Telangana” and “the untiring efforts” of his subordinates.
Harish Rao says, “Ensuring water availability to the last acre is our goal.” According to him, scientific management of available water has helped augment irrigation potential. Typically 1 thousand million cubic (TMC) feet of water irrigates 8,000 acres. By ensuring optimal utilisation, he says, the same volume can cater to over 10,000 acres while also improving productivity.
The Telangana irrigation department has sought Rs 675 crore in central monies under the Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Projects (DRIP) to modernise 34 dams. Central government support is also expected to renovate 28 irrigation utilities in the state. Of his target of bringing irrigation to 1 crore acres, Harish Rao claims his government has already crossed 52 lakh acres. The remaining ayacut (area to be irrigated), he says, will be covered after the completion of six major and two medium projects this year.
Forecasters have predicted a wholesome monsoon in Telangana that promises to fill the reservoirs this year. But the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi isn’t banking on that. Post August 15, the chief minister plans to embark on a Rythu Yatra to select villages in the state.
He is calling this—a Rs 5 lakh insurance scheme for farmers, irrigation to farms, uninterrupted electricity supply and investment support—“the greatest thing I have done in my life”. The CM, very obviously, has his sights set on the state assembly polls in 2019.
“ENSURING WATER TO THE LAST ACRE IS OUR GOAL,” SAYS THE MINISTER