Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects

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Common Guidelines for Watershed Development
Projects
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Rainfed Agriculture

• About 60 of net-sown area is rainfed.
• About 87 area of pulses and minor millets, 77
  oil seeds, 66 cotton 50 cereals are rain
  dependent.
• 100 of forest and grazing lands, 80 of apples,
  mangoes and temperate fruits are unirrigated.
• 66 live-stock is supported by rainfed
  agro-ecologies.

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Risks Watershed Management

• Due to climatic changes, frequency of extreme
  weather events like droughts has increased during
  past 15 years.
• Rainfed agriculture is under invested and highly
  vulnerable.
• Watershed management is the best option for
  integrated management of resources to alleviate
  poverty and hunger.
• Common Guidelines for convergence, coordination
  and harmonization of development projects are
  needed.

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What is New Innovative

• The new guidelines have been built on the past 14
  years of experience of all the stakeholder
  Ministries.
• Harmonise the new policies, programmes, schemes
  and paradigms.
• Role of the Panchayati Raj Institutions has been
  addressed adequately.
• Emphasizes integration of natural resource
  management, productivity, livelihood and income.

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Key Features

• Delegating powers to the States for sanctioning
  and implementation.
• Dedicated institutions of multi-disciplinary
  professionals at national, state and district
  level.
• Strengthening of institutions at national, state
  and district level to ensure professionalism.
• Project duration has been made flexible into 3
  distinct phases to expand the scope.

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• Livelihoods have been oriented through
  integrated farming systems.
• Clustering of small watershed in the range of
  1000-5000 ha areas to optimize transaction cost.
• Scientific planning and capacity building for
  innovative new paradigms.
• Ridge to valley implementation with inter
  departmental coordination and net working
  emphasized.

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Guiding Principles

• Equity and gender inclusiveness.
• Centrality of community and stakeholders
  participation.
• Transparency through operating of joint accounts.
• Facilitating agencies for social mobilisation,
  community organisation proposed.
• Capacity building for new technological inputs.
• Monitoring, evaluation and learning.

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• Organization is process based
• Emphasis on decentralization

National Level
NRM, Income employment generation
State Level
Local Level
District Level
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Institutional Arrangements at National Level

• Role of NRAA has been defined.
• Institutional arrangements at the Ministerial
  level and their roles are illustrated.
• Responsibilities for approving projects
  transferred to the States.
• Matters related with policies, perspective
  planning, allocation of budget, monitoring
  evaluation strengthened.
• A National Data Centre and portal provided.

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Institutional Arrangements at State Level

• A dedicated mechanism of State Level Nodal Agency
  (SLNA) is proposed wherever necessary.
• SLNA will be chaired by the Development
  Commissioner/Addl. Chief Secretary/Agricultural
  Production Commissioner/Principal Secretary of
  the concerned Department or equivalent rank.
• SLNA will be represented by all concerned
  Departments of the State, one representative from
  the Central Nodal Ministry, NRAA, VO and
  professional experts.

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• The main function of the SLNA will be to prepare
  perspective and strategic plans.
• Approve PIA, projects and evaluators etc.
• Sanction projects according to perspective and
  strategic plans.
• Provide support to District Watershed Development
  Unit (DWDU).

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Institutional Arrangements at District level

• If the project area is more than 25,000 ha, a
  dedicated District Watershed Development Unit
  (DWDU) will be set up.
• If the area is less than 25000 ha the existing
  arrangements will be followed.
• DWDU will coordinate with District Planning
  Committee.
• DWDU will have multi-disciplinary professionals.

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• Major Functions of DWDU would be
• Identify potential PIA recommend to SLNA.
• Prepare strategic plans for watershed development
  projects.
• Provide professional/ technical support to PIA
  and many other functions.
• Facilitate coordination with relevant programmes/
  schemes and many other functions.

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Institutional arrangements at project level

• The project implementing agency will be selected
  on the basis of definite criteria.
• The implementing agency will constitute a
  professional Watershed Development Team (WDT).
• Self-Help Group amongst poor, landless, small and
  marginal farmers and user-groups will be
  established.
• A joint account will be operated by Secretary of
  Watershed Committee and WDT nominee as a measure
  of transparency.
• The project will be implemented in 3 distinct
  phases.

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Role of Panchayati Raj Institutions

• The District Planning Committee will provide
  governance support to the programme.
• The District Panchayat/ Zila Parishad and
  Intermediary Panchayats will have important role
  in matters relating to co-ordination, review of
  progress, settling disputes and fore-closing of
  the projects.
• The gram sabha will elect/ appoint Chairman for
  constituting Watershed Committee.
• The gram sabha will supervise Watershed
  Committee, authenticate accounts/ expenditure,
  facilitate convergence, maintain assets register
  and allocate usufructs.

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Allocation of Funds

• Nodal Ministry/Department Will allocate budgetary
  outlay for projects among the States based on
  past performance, States perspective Plan,
  percentage of rainfed area wasteland/ degraded
  land.
• SLNA will distribute funds to districts based on
  perspective Plan, and percentage of rainfed area
  wasteland/degraded lands/Panchayat lands.
• States will sanction their Projects within the
  state allocation.
• Nodal Ministry will release funds based on
  Sanction orders from SLNA.

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Budget component of the Budget
Project Management Administrative costs Monitoring Evaluation 10 1 1
Preparatory phase, including Entry point activities, Institution and capacity building Detailed Project Report (DPR) 4 5 1
Watershed Works Phase Watershed development works, Livelihood activities for the asset less persons, Production system and micro enterprises. 50 10 Equity 13
Consolidation phase 5
Total 100
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Other Key Components

• Self help User groups for landless, small
  marginal farmers.
• Watershed Development Fund through contributions.
• Farming systems for efficient use of inputs and
  natural resources.
• Capacity building.
• Revision of financial norms is under
  consideration.

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• Convergence (PIA and Planning process)

• NWDPRA
• RKVY

CAMPA Rs. 6,200 crores

• NREGS
• IWDP
• DPAP
• DDP
• SGSY

Income Productivity Employment
BRGF Rs. 5,000 crores

• AGWR
• RRR
• AIBP

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• Finalization of Guidelines is based on
• Intensive inter-ministerial discussions.
• Planning Commission was actively involved.
• Draft was revised six times.
• It was discussed in Executive Committee of NRAA
  two times.
• All stakeholder Ministries were represented in
  the Executive Committee Meetings of NRAA.
• Guidelines were approved by GB of NRAA on 11th
  Feb,2008.
• They will be applicable w.e.f. 1st April, 2008 to
  all the ministries for new projects. Old project
  will follow the previous guidelines.

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Thank You