Project launched: Rain-fed land to be cultivated

Punjab Irrigated Agriculture project with the cost of Rs36 billion to bring maximum rain-fed land under plough.

LAHORE: Punjab government has launched a Punjab Irrigated Agriculture Productivity Improvement project with the cost of Rs36 billion to bring maximum rain-fed land under plough, announced Agriculture Minister Malik Ahmad Ali Aulakh on Sunday. Aulakh said that a tract of 120,000 acres of land will benefit through drip and sprinkler irrigation system, and 9,000 watercourses will be lined in addition to the execution of 2,000 new irrigation schemes. The minister said that the project also includes provision of 3,000 laser land-levellers at subsidised rates. He said the government has tailored a master plan to augment the irrigation water supplies through adopting modern water conservation technologies and proper lining of water courses. He said that an initial amount of Rs900 million had already been released for the execution of the pilot project. Aulakh said that 0.35 million acres of land in the command areas of greater Thal Canal will be irrigated for the first time with an estimated cost of Rs876 million. The government has set up a special monitoring cell to monitor timely execution of all on going projects in the province.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 19^th, 2011.