The government has exempted the agriculture sector from the requirement of ‘no objection certificate’ for ground water extraction, Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said on Tuesday. This exemption is part of the guidelines for ‘control and regulation of groundwater extraction’ notified by the Ministry of Jal Shakti on September 24, the agriculture minister said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.
Tomar said the government is implementing several schemes like Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) – Per Drop More Crop under which financial assistance and advisories are provided to farmers for adopting the best practices for efficient water management and agro-ecologically suitable crops. Besides, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) through their institutes and State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) are addressing issues related to judicious use of water ensuring higher water and crop productivity in the country, he added.
That apart, the minister said the government is implementing PMKSY with the objective of enhancing physical access of water and expand cultivable area under assured irrigation, improve on-farm water use efficiency, introduce sustainable water conservation practices, etc.
