Punjab, Himachal Pradesh lagging in WDC-PMKSY: Parl panel

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The parliamentary standing committee on rural development has expressed its disappointment on the progress of implementation of watershed development component ofPradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana(WDCPMKSY) projects in five states, includingPunjabandHimachal Pradesh.

The department of land Resources informed the parliamentary standing committee that the funds released by it to the state governments during a particular financial year are not timely transferred to the respective SLNAs for project implementation, which hampers the release of central funds in the subsequent year also.

The committee report reveals that the department of land resources has not released any funds to the Punjab government in

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the last three years (2018-19 to 2020-21).

This scheme is also important for Punjab as the department of land resources informed the parliamentary committee that the necessary provisions for giving due priority to the areas witnessing low water table have already been incorporated in the revised draft guidelines for watershed projects to be followed under the proposed new generation WDCPMKSY.
The groundwater table in Punjab has been declining at the rate of 25-30 centimetres per annum in the past two decades. The central ground water board has already warned that Punjab could turn into a desert state in the next 25 years.