Kolkata: Bengal govt, in collaboration with Centre, has launched ‘Reform Utsav’ across 9,593 gram panchayats from Oct 2 to promote community-led watershed development and help farmers tackle erratic water availability, soil erosion and low farm productivity.Linked to the Centre’s People’s Plan Campaign (PPC), or ‘Sabki Yojana, Sabka Vikas’, the initiative will use gram sabhas to raise awareness, identify local needs and involve villagers in planning and implementation.The state agriculture department said around 1.29 lakh hectares had been brought under watershed development programmes in Bengal, benefiting nearly 2.29 lakh marginal farmers and others dependent on agriculture.The govt has raised the allocation for watershed development in plain areas from Rs 12,000 to Rs 22,000 per hectare, and in hilly areas from Rs 15,000 to Rs 28,000 per hectare. The implementation period has also been cut from seven years to five.The programme will cover improved seeds, farm equipment, crop diversification and horticulture, with the aim of increasing agricultural productivity and farm incomes.
