SRINAGAR: The State Level Sanctioning Committee (SLSC) chaired by Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Friday approved the Annual Action Plan (AAP) worth Rs 75.80 crore under the Watershed Development Component of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (WDC-PMKSY) 2.0 for the financial year 2025–26. The approved plan focuses on natural resource management, production systems, and rejuvenation of water bodies across Jammu and Kashmir.
The meeting reviewed progress under the scheme and finalised allocations including Rs 42.70 crore for Natural Resource Management, Rs 15.03 crore for Production Systems, Rs 2.15 crore for Consolidation and Withdrawal Phase, Rs 8.14 crore for work claims from the previous year, and Rs 4.15 crore for administrative expenses. The committee also cleared the revision of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) to incorporate 300 newly allocated springs and directed coordination with the Jal Shakti Department.
The Chief Secretary emphasised the need for durable asset creation in water-stressed areas and directed officers to prioritise location-specific works. He instructed senior officials to carry out frequent field visits for first-hand review of ongoing projects and called for increased community participation to ensure effective execution.
Principal Secretary, Finance and Agriculture Production Departments, Shailendra Kumar, stressed the inclusion of minor irrigation works in DPRs to ensure water access to tail-end fields and suggested steps to increase transparency. Secretary Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Aijaz Asad, said that the WDC-PMKSY 2.0 is a continuation of the earlier Integrated Watershed Management Programme, with a focus on water harvesting structures, irrigation channels, and soil conservation.
The committee was informed about the Watershed Yatra Campaign 2025, launched in February in Kathua by the Union Minister for Agriculture and UT Minister for Rural Development. Jammu and Kashmir secured the second rank nationally for strategic planning and community-based implementation of the scheme. As part of public engagement, the Janbhagidhari Watershed Cup will identify 2–3 districts with strong local involvement in project execution.
Under a national initiative to rejuvenate 50,000 springs, 3,100 additional springs have been tentatively assigned to J&K, pending final guidelines from the Department of Land Resources. The approved projects are expected to promote sustainable agriculture and support inclusive rural development across the region.
