Stage being set for launch of Indira Solar Giri Water Development scheme
The State government is setting the stage for the launch of Indira Solar Giri Water Development scheme. The scheme, another major initiative of the Congress government, envisages to bring lands allotted to tribal communities under the RoFR Act [The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights Act, 2006)] into cultivation and empower the tribal communities economically. The scheme aims at benefitting tribal farmers who had been waiting for free power supply to cultivate their Podu cultivation, where forest land is cleared by cutting and burning vegetation to create fields.
The process has, however, been hit by obstacles as administrative delays relating to clearances from the departments concerned, Forest department in particular. It was in this background, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka convened a meeting of senior officials to resolve the impasse in giving permissions to ensure uninterrupted power supply to these farms. Mr. Bhatti Vikramarka has asserted that the Congress government had allocated substantial funds for the scheme, which no other State in the country had made. The Indira Solar Giri Water Development Scheme is expected to cater to irrigation needs of six lakh acres benefitting over 2.1 lakh tribal farmers over the next five years. The scheme will be launched by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy at Mannanur in Achampet Assembly constituency on May 18 and it has been proposed that the entire Cabinet would be present at the event.
The Deputy Chief Minister said the officials from the ITDA, electricity and horticulture departments would play a key role in the implementation of the project and wanted them to plan for effective rollout of the project. Selected tribal villages that received land titles would be surveyed for water availability and this would be followed by borewell drilling, installation of solar pumpsets, plantations, and drip irrigation systems to ensure farmers do not face difficulties. Mr. Bhatti Vikramarka suggested that cultivation of crops like avocado, bamboo, pomegranate, dragon fruit, and fig which would be remunerative. Officials concerned should accordingly conduct awareness programmes for tribal farmers in this direction. Officials concerned should visit other States where such experiments were met with success.
The Deputy Chief Minister directed the officials concerned to identify crops that could generate yields and income in short term as plantations like palm oil and bamboo would take at least three years to generate income to farmers. He wanted the officials to explore options like Himachal Pradesh where organic vegetables were exported to the national capital for emulation in the ITDA areas.
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