The Umbather water harvesting scheme sanctioned under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) – Per Drop More Crop(PDMC) was today inaugurated at the Rngad village in East Jaiñtia Hills.
Executive engineer of the water resource department, R.R. Lyngskor said that this is the first time that the scheme is being implemented in the state. He informed that the scheme was sanctioned by the Central and State governments in 2018-2019 at Rs. 22.697 lakhs covering an area of 11.50 hectares. Through the scheme, seven households will be benefitted, he added.
Inaugurating the scheme, district additional deputy commissioner, B. Rani said that the water harvesting project is a blessing for the village and urged the people at the gathering to upkeep the water harvesting structure in the village so that it will benefit the people.
She also stated that agriculture is the backbone of the economy and the farmers play a major role as the providers of food to the people. “The Government has been implementing various schemes for the welfare of the people and as the beneficiaries, you should make good use of the schemes”, she said. She also hoped that the water harvesting structure in the village will bring about a positive change to many households and farmers of the village in the years to come.
Assistant Director Agro (ADA), D.B. Dhar said that the project will benefit the people and will boost agricultural activities in the village. He reiterated on the importance of afforestation and preventing wildfire as it can have a direct impact of reducing vegetation cover and increase of soil erosion.
He encouraged the famers to utilize their agricultural land in cultivating crops throughout the year which can help improve the fertility of the soil and will also generate income. He further stated that the farmers before cultivating any crop should visit the agriculture office in the district to get more knowledge on the crops that are suitable for their area, the type of soil, the seed and manures required for cultivation.
At the programme, the water harvesting scheme was handed to the Water Users Association of Rngad village.
