The Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY) is a comprehensive irrigation scheme launched by the government by integrating the existing irrigation schemes. Given the challenges in the irrigation sector of the country, the scheme aims to provide irrigation coverage to more agricultural lands on the one hand and to increase water efficiency by adopting better irrigation practices.
Reflecting this overall water efficiency theme, the slogan of the scheme is ‘more crop per drop’.
The PMKSY is implemented through the collective efforts of Ministries of Agriculture, Water Resources and Rural Development. State governments also joins the scheme by designing irrigation oriented development plans for specific areas.
PMKSY will be implemented across the country with an outlay of Rs. 50,000 crore in five years (2015-16 to 2019-20) to achieve convergence of investments in irrigation at the field level.
The PMKSY is formulated by amalgamating ongoing schemes like Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) of the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation (MoWR,RD&GR), Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP) of Department of Land Resources (DoLR) and the On Farm Water Management (OFWM) of Department of Agriculture and Cooperation (DAC).
According to the PMKSY document, “The major objective of PMKSY is to achieve convergence of investments in irrigation at the field level, expand cultivable area under assured irrigation, improve on-farm water use efficiency to reduce wastage of water, enhance the adoption of precision-irrigation and other water saving technologies (More crop per drop), enhance recharge of aquifers and introduce sustainable water conservation practices by exploring the feasibility of reusing treated municipal waste water for peri-urban agriculture and attract greater private investment in precision irrigation system.”
PMKSY has a ‘decentralized State level project execution’ structure under which States will formulate their irrigation development plans based on District Irrigation Plan (DIP) and State Irrigation Plan (SIP). The programme is designed as a convergence platform for all existing and proposed water sector activities including drinking water & sanitation, MGNREGA, application of science & technology etc.
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