J'khand Govt Introduces Water Conservation Initiative Worth Rs 467 Cr

The Jharkhand Agriculture Minister Badal Patralekh has introduced a water conservation initiative with an outlay of Rs 467.32 crore on Saturday. The initiative is intended to benefit the farmers of the state that has experienced drought in the previous year.

This was stated in an official statement. Under the initiative, 2,795 percolation tanks will be manufactured and over 2,133 ponds will be renovated in each block of 24 districts of the state. The Agriculture Minister also approved the renovation work of 71 ponds and 184 percolation tanks.  

A percolation tank is a human-made surface water body that is created to recharge the groundwater table.

The Minister said that the state government is making significant efforts to help the drought-affected farmers of Jharkhand. The government has provided financial aid to 8.5 lakhs, out of 31.33 lakh applications received from drought-hit farmers. The government aims to provide financial aid of Rs 1,200 crore as relief fund to 30 lakh such farmers, he further added. 

The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) led-government declared 226 out of 260 blocks of the state as drought-affected regions on 29 October 2022. The government has decided to give a cash relief of Rs 3,500 to each farming family hit by the drought.