While Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao pointed fingers at the Centre for its debts over GSDP, Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao on Tuesday blamed the Central government for not cooperating with the State government on Mission Kakatiya programme.
Speaking in the State Legislative Council on Tuesday, Harish Rao said though NITI Aayog recommended `5,000 crore for Mission Kakatiya programme, the Centre did not respond to it even after two years. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and Finance Minister E Rajender too represented to the Centre umpteen times on providing funds to Mission Kakatiya, but in vain, Harish Rao said.
Harish Rao said that Mission Kakatiya was giving tremendous results. With the restoration of minor irrigation tanks, the water storage capacity in Krishna basin increased by 89 tmc and another 165 tmc in Godavari basin.
The NABCON of NABARD submitted a detailed report on the implementation of Mission Kakatiya, the Minister said. The NABCON selected 12,000 families in 400 villages with minor irrigation tanks.
Though, there was inadequate rainfall in 2016, the cultivable area was increased by 51.5 per cent due to the Mission Kakatiya, Harish Rao recalled. The Minister said that 10.53 lakh acres of ayacut was stabilised under Mission Kakatiya tanks.
With the availability of plenty of water after renovation of tanks, the paddy cultivation area increased from 49.2 per cent to 62.1 per cent in the State. In 2016-17, the paddy cultivation was 7.2 per cent more in Rabi than the total area cultivated in Kharif.
The production of paddy was also increased by 4.1 per cent and the cotton production was increased by 6.5 per cent, the Irrigation Minister said. He said that the production of red gram too increased from 0.5 quintal to 1.5 quintal per acre, as the land had moisture level after the restoration of tanks.
The income of the families residing near Mission Kakatiya tanks too witnessed a rise of 78.5 per cent, the Irrigation Minister said.