Tata Consultancy Services Foundation (TCSF) has decided to provide Rs 30 crore to Maharashtra government, to rejuvenate Malguzari tanks in the Eastern Vidarbha region of the state.
A release issued by the Chief Minister's Office said that TCSF will provide the funds to desilt 141 Malguzari tanks as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative.
Desilting of the water tanks will lead to an increase in the irrigation land of around 15,738 hectare and will benefit 15,955 farmers, the release said.
The Malguzari tanks were built during the Gond regime over 300 years ago considering the topography of the area. Till 1950s the tanks were owned by local landlords (Malguzars), which gave them the name. Some of the tanks have a capacity to irrigate as much as 100 hectares.
The release further said that the state government had in 2016-17 started Malguzari tanks rejuvenation programme, under which funds are being raised through peoples' participation, CSR, cooperative organisations, etc.
Also, in the state budget of 2016, an outlay of Rs 150 crore was made for repairing the tanks.
The release said that TCS has responded to a request made by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to N Chandrashekharan chairman of Tata Son's to fund the desilting work in eastern Vidarbha.
TCS has started work on the initiative with the help of technical experts and machinery.
The company will spend Rs 3.72 crore in the first year (2017-18), Rs 12.49 crore in the second year (2018-19) and Rs 13.49 crore in 2019-20.
In the villages of Chandrapur, Bhandara, Gondia, Gadchiroli and Nagpur, there are around 6,700 Malguzari tanks built over 300 years ago.
During the British regime, the tanks were owned by local landlords, hence the name Malguzari.
The state government took possession of these tanks, used for irrigation purposes in 1950.
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