With loans sanctioned by National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) to Gujarat government under Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) for various rural infrastructure projects crossing Rs 10,000 crore to touch Rs 10,297 crore mark as on 4 January 2012, the state has figured in the top three states in the country when it comes to utilisation of the RIDF loans.
According to the statement issued by Nabard,the major infrastructure projects for which the support has been extended to Gujarat include irrigation projects like Narmada Main Canal and Saurashtra Branch Canal and its distribution system, check dams, rural drinking water through pipeline system, rural roads, aanganwadi centres, public health centres and community Healths including ‘108’ type ambulances and salinity ingression projects.
Of the total RIDF assistance of Rs 10297 crore to the state government, 28 per cent has been availed by narmada water resources, water supply and kalpasar department, while 22 per cent has been utilised by Gujarat water supply and sewerage board and 24 per cent by roads and building department. The remaining amount has been utilised by health and family welfare department, women and child development department as well as agriculture and cooperation department.
"One of the major programmes of the state government supported under RIDF was the construction of 29,689 check dams in the various districts of Gujarat. 75 per cent of these structures have already been completed and have resulted in benefits like increased irrigated area, increase in ground water table, re-opening of dry / buried wells, increase in cultivated area due to lift irrigation, crop diversification, increased availability of drinking water, increase in land prices, income levels improved, changes in production, migration of local people stopped, acceptance of modern agricultural practices due to better irrigation facilities," the statement added.