Even though the opposition-ruled states attack Centre for poor conditions of the marginal farmers, they have surprisingly not spent even a penny under a scheme which is directly related to farmers and the poor.
Under Integrated Watershed Management (IWMP) programme, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa did not spend even a single rupee from the Central allocation in 2011-12, while West Bengal did not submit even a single project under the programme for the last three years.
Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand have spent about seven per cent of the funds last year under IWMP. This project is intended to improve the water table and help marginal farmers with irrigation apart from reclaiming wasteland for cultivation purpose.
Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh is learnt to have written to the chief ministers of Congress-ruled Maharashtra, Samajwadi Party-ruled UP, BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) headed Orissa and Trinamul Congress-led West Bengal in a bid to exhort them to utilise the funds.
What is more startling is that Maharashtra, UP, Orissa have spent zero per cent of the funds allocated under IWMP. Mr Ramesh in a letter to the West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has said that the state has not submitted any project for approval since 2009. The TMC is ruling the state for the past 11 months but the situation has not changed.
In the 11th five year plan, IWMP was allocated about `15,000 crores, while the ministry of rural development has been unofficially sounded by the Planning Commission that the allocation under 12th five year plan would be about `35,000 crores.
“This scheme is directly for benefits of the states and marginal farmers. Better utilisation of IWMP can bring around qualitative changes in the lives of the poor and the marginalised farmers. However, the state governments appear to be quite lukewarm to implement the scheme on the ground and,” said a senior official of the ministry. A recent report released by the department of land resources based on the satellite findings of the Isro revealed that there has been an impressive decline in the wasteland areas, with a substantial chunk having been brought under cultivation.