8,926 Farmers Across 94 Villages to Benefit; 11,040 Hectares to Come Under Efficient Irrigation
Punjab Newsline, Chandigarh–
In a major push towards sustainable agriculture and scientific water management, the State Level Sanctioning Committee (SLSC), under the chairmanship of Haryana Chief Secretray Anurag Rastogi, has approved four Community-Based Solar Powered Integrated Micro Irrigation Projects under the Micro Irrigation & Command Area Development Authority (MICADA), Haryana.
With a total investment of ₹402.41 crore, the projects will be implemented across 61 canal outlets covering 20 blocks in Bhiwani, Jhajjar, Kurukshetra and Mahendragarh districts. Scheduled for completion between 2026-27 and 2028-29, the initiative will bring 11,040 hectares of culturable command area under advanced micro-irrigation systems and directly benefit 8,926 farmers across 94 villages.
The district-wise allocation includes ₹95.78 crore for Bhiwani, ₹114.68 crore for Jhajjar, ₹77.17 crore for Kurukshetra and ₹114.78 crore for Mahendragarh. The benefit-cost ratio ranges from 1.21:1 to 1.65:1, indicating strong economic viability and long-term returns for the farming community. By promoting drip and sprinkler systems within canal command areas, the projects aim to significantly improve water use efficiency, reduce transmission losses and enhance crop productivity.
Chairing the meeting, the Chief Secretary emphasized that integrated supply and demand management of water is essential to address climate variability and declining groundwater levels. He directed departments to ensure timely execution, strict monitoring and effective coordination so that benefits reach farmers within the stipulated timeframe. The adoption of solar-powered systems will also lower operational costs and make irrigation environmentally sustainable. He also directed officers to go in the field and share best practices with farmers.
The Committee reviewed and approved a comprehensive reform 16 agendas pertaining to registration of manufacturer/suppliers as per PDMC Guidelines, 2025 and to strengthen transparency, accountability and farmer protection. A total of 147 manufacturers and suppliers were found eligible for registration for 2025–26 to 2029–30 after rigorous scrutiny of 165 applications. Vendors agreed to align their rates with approved State/PDMC norms under the Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) programme, ensuring that farmers are shielded from inflated pricing.
The scheme will continue under a beneficiary-driven Direct Benefit Transfer/Kind through model, enabling farmers to select suppliers while subsidies are released within approved cost ceilings. To enhance transparency, the MICADA portal will be integrated with the GST portal for digital authentication of invoices, preventing fake or inflated billing. A component-wise bank guarantee mechanism has also been approved to ensure financial accountability of vendors, and GST has been included as part of admissible subsidy as per norms.
Quality assurance mechanisms were further strengthened with State-level scrutiny of laboratory testing reports, strict penalty provisions for violations and independent monitoring of at least 20 per cent of projects annually. A cluster-based implementation strategy and a pilot Public-Private-CSR model were also discussed to expand coverage and ensure long-term maintenance support, particularly for SC, Small & Marginal farmers.
Notably, between 2022-23 and 2024-25, MICADA successfully implemented 99 NABARD-funded Micro Irrigation Fund schemes across 18 districts at a cost of ₹563.43 crore, with auxiliary infrastructure fully completed and micro-irrigation systems installed over nearly 40 per cent of the targeted area. The newly approved projects build upon this strong foundation and reaffirm Haryana’s commitment to climate-resilient, technology-driven and farmer-centric agricultural development.