MUMBAI: Water conservationist Dr Rajendra Singh on Tuesday criticised the Maharashtra government for flaws in its flagship programme ‘JalYukt Shivar’ saying that the scheme has benefited contractors more than the farmers or the cause of water conservation.
“Kisani, Jawani Aur Pani (Agriculture, Youth and Water) are under threat in Maharashtra,” Singh said while speaking at the concluding session of an agro exhibition at Sangli in Western Maharashtra.
“The ‘JalYukt Shivar’ scheme was originally going on very well. However, it was ruined once it went into the hands of contractors. They started using machines and started overusing them for their own benefit,” he said.
Had the scheme, which aims to focus on water and soil conservation, been implemented with due diligence — and by keeping away vested interests — it could have become a success study for such schemes elsewhere in the world, he added.
The much-vaunted scheme has been the subject of intense debate and criticism as Opposition parties claim it is a scam. The Devendra Fadnavis-led government, however, continues to claim that the scheme has been very successful.