Govt committed to implement water management schemes: Palyekar

VALPOI: Water Resources Minister Vinod Palyekar has said that the government is committed to implement various schemes in the state for water management and farmers should take optimum benefit of such schemes.

Palyekar was speaking at the inauguration of lift irrigation project by WRD on Wednesday at Bhom-Padeli in Sattari taluka. Poriem MLA Pratapsing Rane, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, ZP members Fati Gaonkar, Premnath Hazare and sarpanch of Bhirondem panchayat, Nitin Shivdekar were present among others.

Hundreds of families are expected to benefit from the project. Stressing on lift irrigation scheme, Palyekar said the scheme will be instrumental in helping farmers in increasing their production.

The minister further said the government has spent around Rs 14 crore in setting up this project in Padeli village. He said this is one of the major lift irrigation schemes adopted on the bank of Mhadei river, which will provide irrigation facilities to 180 hectare of cultivable land in surrounding villages of Bhom, Padelim Advoi, Kumbharwada, Mhadeiwada etc.

Palyekar praised Health Minister Rane for making efforts in getting the scheme in the area and assured that his department would try its best to give maximum benefit in Valpoi constituency as Sattari has large number of progressive farmers.

Poriem MLA Pratapsingh Rane said that Goa government should adopt agricultural technology from Israel to improve agriculture in the state. He urged the farmers to use drip irrigation for irrigating their fields.

Health Minister Vishwajit said with the activation of lift irrigation scheme at Padeli more than 550 families of farmers will be benefited. He said the government will soon lay the foundation for proposed raw water treatment plant at Opa. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 90 crore, it was stated.

The health minister said that modern methods of irrigation have been adopted to bring more area under cultivation. He said that the government has always believed in giving back to society by organising community development programmes in various fields.