Chandigarh (Balwinder Singh): The Haryana government will implement the “Water Secure Haryana” programme to strengthen long-term water security and promote sustainable, climate-smart agricultural practices across the state, Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shyam Singh Rana announced on Friday. Presiding over a departmental review meeting in Chandigarh alongside senior agricultural officials, the minister outlined a comprehensive framework aimed at reclaiming degraded farmland, enhancing water efficiency, and raising farmers’ incomes by reducing the acreage under water-intensive crops.
The initiative focuses on reclaiming waterlogged and saline-affected agricultural land through sub-surface and vertical drainage systems, alongside promoting crop diversification and modern water-saving techniques. Under a cluster-based implementation model, approximately two lakh acres across waterlogging-affected districts, including Jhajjar and Rohtak, will be covered under Cluster-13 for phased drainage installation. Additionally, five lakh acres across Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind, and Karnal in Cluster-5 will adopt Direct Seeded Rice techniques, while 1.12 lakh acres in Cluster-13 will transition to alternative crops under the ‘Mera Pani Meri Virasat’ scheme, complemented by mandatory soil test-based applications of green manure and gypsum.
The project is slated for execution over a six-year period from 2026 to 2032 with a total estimated outlay of Rs 5,714.80 crore. The World Bank will provide 70 percent of the funding, amounting to Rs 4,000.36 crore under its Program-for-Results financing mechanism, while the Haryana government will contribute the remaining 30 percent, totaling Rs 1,714.44 crore. Following approvals from central bodies—including NITI Aayog, the Central Water Commission, and the Ministry of Jal Shakti—as well as the state cabinet, the proposal has been formally submitted to the World Bank, with final loan sanction expected by October 2026.
Within the overall project framework, the Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Department has earmarked Rs 886 crore for its agricultural component, representing roughly 16 percent of the total budget. Of this allocation, Rs 436 crore is dedicated to the reclamation of waterlogged and saline soil, while Rs 450 crore will fund Direct Seeded Rice adoption, crop diversification incentives, dhaincha-based green manuring, and gypsum distribution. Rana instructed administrative officers to execute all cluster targets in a strictly time-bound, transparent manner to deliver rapid and direct benefits to the farming community.
