BRLF, MGNREGS Inks Pact For High Impact Mega Watershed Project, Aims To Double Farmers' Income

In an effort toward uplifting the farmers' community and bringing prosperity to the household of tribal, poor and other vulnerable people, the Bharat Rural Livelihoods Foundation (BRLF) and Commissioner Office of Mahatama Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Government of Maharashtra signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on to jointly implement a project titled "A High Impact Mega Watershed Project".

The project will be implemented across 28 selected blocks of 6 districts of Vidarbha regions of Maharashtra via appropriate land and water treatment measures that would be done through leveraging funds from Mahatama Gandhi NREGS. The income of as many as 100,000 marginal and small households is expected to double through this project.

A High Impact Mega Watershed Project

The Mega Watershed Project would integrate the plan and implementation of MGNREGS in watershed mode. The project would include the active participation of the community from inception to execution, proper net planning (GIS mapping), capacity building of Gram Panchayats, and project implementation in the state's most deprived and resource-poor geographies.

The Commissioner of MGNREGS, Government of Maharashtra, IAS Shantanu Goel, said, "To make every farmer/landless labour, Lakhpati (net income of 1 lakh per annum) whatever funds are needed within the framework of MGNREGS, it would be made available under MGNREGS, by Govt. of India and Govt. of Maharashtra. On average per year, Rs. 7.14 crore are available for each Taluka development work under MGNREGS in the last two years. A similar amount can be made available if proper work planning under MGNREGS is taken and executed accordingly."

Project For Sustainable Income

Under the High Impact Mega Watershed Project, community irrigation and water conservation spots like Percolation tanks, Mazi Malgujari Talav, Check Dam, and Storage tanks will be restored, and irrigation assets of individuals like farm ponds and irrigation wells will also be created.

The project will also create activities that generate sustainable income- sericulture, horticulture plantation, poultry sheds and cattle sheds. As many as 800 Rojgaar Sahayaks and 6,000 SHG and PRI members will be trained for this project to plan and implement livelihood plans effectively.

The Chief Executive Officer of BRLF, Pramathesh Ambasta, said, "The project will enhance social capital through community collectives, progressive farmers, and agro-entrepreneurs. It will empower Gram Sabhas/Panchayati Raj Institutions while improving the democratic processes of these institutions to drive the village development processes and facilitate better access to the MGNREGS Scheme. The project will drive the effective implementation of MGNREGS through the active participation of the community in the planning and execution of works."

The foundation, while sharing the information with The Logical Indian, claimed that the aim is to achieve 65 per cent of MGNREGS expenditure on Natural Resource Management, 60 per cent of its spending on agriculture and allied activities in the targeted block, and 60 per cent on the creation of individual assets that will support the marginalised community in the long run.

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