Nabard sanctions Rs 2,538 cr under rural plan in Gujarat

The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) has sanctioned Rs 2,538.19 crore under the Rural Infrastructure Development Project (RIDP) in Gujarat in the last nine years.

Of this, the bank has disbursed Rs 1,493.09 crore as on July 1, 2004. Most of the funds have been sanctioned for irrigation projects, roads and bridges and social sectors such as drinking water supply and education under the RIDF projects I to IX.

"This amount has been sanctioned over a period of nine years. We are at present implementing the RIDF VIII and IX plans in Gujarat, which are mainly concerning rural drinking water supply schemes," said Sanjay Desai, deputy general manager, Nabard, Gujarat.

RIDF I was implemented in Gujarat in 1995-96. In the irrigation sector, the projects sanctioned were check dams, medium and major irrigation schemes and the innovative salinity ingress prevention projects.

The state received Rs 148.50 lakh under the RIDF for the completion of 12,000 check dams. All these dams were completed in time for which the state has availed of Rs 106.16 crore.

Among major irrigation projects, Rs 93.20 crore has been sanctioned to the state government under the RIDF-VI to rehabilitate the Kakrapar Left Bank Main canal.

The project is expected to increase the area under irrigation by 18,000 hectare. The project for diversion of surplus water from the Narmada Main canal to the Dharoi reservoir also got a Nabard loan of Rs 125.12 crore under the RIDF-VIII from a total project cost of Rs 218.51 crore.

A loan of Rs 500 crore has also been sanctioned for the development of the Saurashtra Branch canal of the Sardar Sarovar project.

The project, at present under implementation, is expected to provide water for irrigation to an estimated 5.24 lakh hectare area, and a source of drinking water to over 5,000 villages and 100 towns and cities of Saurashtra.

Loans have also been sanctioned for salinity ingress prevention projects. Salinity ingress is a phenomenon where sea water enters the fresh water zones contaminating the ground water of the area.

In the social sector area, Nabard has sanctioned loans for the Gokul Gram Yojana of the state government, providing infrastructure facilities in rural areas such as approach roads, community halls and drinking water facilities.

Under RIDF-IX, a loan assistance of Rs 285.21 crore has been sanctioned to the state government for rural drinking water supply projects to be implemented by the Gujarat Water Supply and Sewerage Board for 712 villages in Mehsana and Surendranagar districts.