11 projects included under AIBP, three completed, 8 in various stages

Metro India News | Hyderabad 

The Union government, under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), launched in 2015-16, has been actively working to enhance access to irrigation across the country through its Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) component.

The primary objective of PMKSY is to improve water use efficiency, expand cultivable area under assured irrigation, and accelerate the completion of long-pending major and medium irrigation projects. In Phase-I of PMKSY-AIBP, 106 major and medium irrigation projects across India were prioritized for completion between 2016-2021, and subsequently, in Phase-II, additional projects were included based on inter-state consultations.

As part of this national effort, 11 irrigation projects in Telangana have been supported under PMKSY-AIBP, with a mix of completed and ongoing works. Out of these, three projects—Ralivagu, Mathadivagu, and Gollavagu—have been completed, collectively creating over 8,200 hectares of irrigation potential.

The remaining eight projects are ongoing, with significant progress made on key schemes such as the J. Chokka Rao Devadula Lift Irrigation Scheme, which has already created over 1.28 lakh hectares of irrigation potential, and the Rajiv Bhima Lift Irrigation Scheme, which has developed irrigation for over 61,000 hectares. Other ongoing projects include SRSP Stage-II, Indiramma Flood Flow Canal, Neelwai, Jagannathpur, Sri Komaram Bheem, and Palemvagu.

These projects are set to benefit a wide range of districts in Telangana, including Hanamkonda, Warangal, Jayashankar Bhupalapally, Jangaon, Siddipet, Karimnagar, Suryapet, Mulugu, Yadadri, Wanaparthy, Nagarkurnool, Mahaboobnagar, Nalgonda, Mahabubabad, Khammam, Rajanna Sircilla, Jagtiyal, Mancherial, and Kumram Bheem Asifabad. The Central Government has so far released over Rs 976 crore in financial assistance for these projects in Telangana under AIBP, helping to fast-track completion and ensures reliable irrigation to drought-prone and water-scarce regions.

Overall, under PMKSY-AIBP, 106 irrigation projects were identified nationwide across multiple states such as Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha, and Uttar Pradesh. Of these, 63 projects have been completed, and 43 are ongoing, with additional projects included in subsequent phases to expand the reach of assured irrigation in priority regions.

Telangana’s inclusion in this flagship program is a reflection of the Union government’s commitment to sustainable agricultural growth and improved livelihoods for farmers through better irrigation infrastructure, the Ministry of Jal Shakti informed in reply to a unstarred question from Khammam MP Ramasahayam Raghuram Reddy in Lok Sabha recently.