In a bid to a roll out a green carpet on the uplands and arid terrain, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday launched the 'YSR Jala Kala' scheme, under which bore wells will be drilled to benefit small and medium farmers who have no open source of water for irrigation.
As per the official release, under the newly launched scheme bore wells will be drilled free of cost.
"About 3 lakh farmers will be benefited from 'YSR Jala Kala' and bring in 5 lakh acres under cultivation with an estimated cost of Rs 2,340 crore in 4 years. The Government plans to drill about two lakh bore wells to enable groundwater irrigation to the upland farmers and those in arid areas depending on the availability and the level of the water table," it said.
It further stated that all the eligible farmers can avail the new initiative by applying either online or through the village secretariats, which will be scrutinized after Hydro-geological and geophysical surveys.
"The State has already identified drilling contract agency one each for every parliament constituency. The farmer or a group of farmers with a landholding of 2.5 to 5 acres can apply for the scheme. The drilling of bores will be started based on the feasibility in terms of the level of the water table. Once the application is filed, the technical team will assess the groundwater level and gives the clearance to the drilling contractor who completes the job," the release said.
It added that the state government has also developed a software application to monitor and implement the program, and farmers can apply online or through Village Secretariats and the status of their application can be monitored at every stage.
"They will get text messages about the status," it said.
( With inputs from ANI )
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