RS. 1.24 crore subsidy for farmers opting drip irrigation : Varun Roojam

PATIALA: To encourage farmers to use drip irrigation technique while cultivating their crops especially vegetables in district Patiala, a subsidy of over Rs. 1.24 Lakh was given to such farmers who were using this technique.

Disclosing this here today the deputy commissioner Mr. Varun Roojam welcomed the step taken by the farmers using drip irrigation thereby saving the water. He said that this way the farmers could also take benefit of various schemes launched by the Punjab government introducing novel ideas in the field of Agriculture.

He further said that the farmers have been given 80% subsidy for using drip irrigation and during the year 2014-15 a subsidy of Rs.4.49 lakh was given to the farmers cultivating an area of 15.25 hectare. Adding further he said that opting for a proper utilization of depleting water table in Agriculture and irrigation, Patiala district has launched a National Agriculture Development Plan under which a comprehensive common underground water irrigation scheme was also initiated. He said that 90% subsidy has also been given on this scheme. During the last financial year an area of 89.90 hectares of land was covered under its ambit by providing a subsidy of Rs. 20.71 lakh to the farmers.

The deputy commissioner also said that under the Crop diversification, Rs. 73 lakh as subsidy was sanctioned for farmers for installing underground irrigation pipes while out of this Rs. 53.61 lakh subsidy was provided to them. He also said that the farmers were given subsidy of Rs. 45.72 lakh for installing pipelines in their farms under SWC-9 scheme. 199 hectare of land was brought under this scheme directly benefitting 110 farmers of district Patiala.