Area Developement Programmes

In 1952 the Community Development Programme (CDP) was launched. By the end of the sixties it was realised that this multipurpose programme had not fulfilled all the expectations that it raised. Hence, among other programmes, some area based development programmes were launched in the seventies. These area development programmes are what we discuss in this section. 

Command Area Development Programme 

The Command Area Development Programme (CADP) was launched to bring about efficient utilisation of water, as water is an essential requirement  for agricultural production. This programme is important in the development of backward areas. 

The CADP was launched in 1975, in 50 selected irrigation projects in 13 states, as a Central Government sponsored scheme. Its main aim was to bring about greater utilisation of irrigation potential and stepping up agricultural production in selected areas requiring major and medium irrigation. A unified approach was desired and States were asked to set up Command Area development authorities for the projects. The National Commission on Agriculture in its report in 1976 emphasised the need for developing the land in the Command areas in an integrated manner. 

The main objectives of the CADP are to : 

1. maximise agricultural production through better management of land and water use in the command areas of irrigation projects where there was a gap between potential and actual use; 
2. ensure that inputs are supplied; 
3. provide institutional finance to farmers. 

The programme covers items like on-farm development works comprising field irrigation channels, field drains, land leveling, consolidation of land holding and realignment of field boundaries where necessary; introduction of rotational system of water distribution within the outlet; adoption of suitable cropping patterns, strengthening agricultural extension services; provision of drainage network; development of ground  water; arrangement and supply of credit and other agricultural inputs; and development of infrastructure such as roads, markets and warehousing facilities within the command area. 

The main sources of finance for CADP are Central assistance to the States on a matching basis for certain selected items, the State Governments, own resources, and institutional credit. In the seventh plan, priority was accorded to economically backward states in the disbursement of the Central scheme of the CAD Project. In the fifth plan, an expenditure of Rs. 66.5 crore in the Central sector, Rs. 56 crore in the State sector and Rs. 8.2 crore from institutional sources was incurred. In the sixth plan an expenditure of Rs. 287 crore in the Central sector and R5.560 crore in the State sector was incurred. 

The CADP has performed quite well particularly in the improvement in utilisation of irrigation potential. The potential utilised went up from 6.88 million hectares (mha), in 1979-80 to 10.1 9 mha in 1986-87. Gross irrigated area has increased significantly. Water distribution and availability has gone up. Emphasis has been laid on modernisation of the earlier irrigation systems. 

The CADP, however, has suffered from a number of shortcomings such as slow implementation, inadequate financial and organisational support, inadequate motivation, unwillingness of farmers to provide land for CAD activities, problems of floods affecting CAD works, slow progress in consolidation of land in which field channels were to be constructed, lack of extension support and uncertainty in the supply of irrigation water. 

Drought Prone Areas Programme 

Drought is not uncommon in India. Areas prone to drought and desert conditions are often characterised by soil erosion and environmental degradation. The Indian meteorological department defines drought as a situation occurring in any part of the country when the annual rainfall is less than 75 per cent of the normal. If rainfall is deficient by 25 to 30 per cent of the normal, it is moderate drought and if the deficiency is more than 50 per cent it is chronic drought. Severity of drought depends on the aridity or degree of moisture deficiency, duration of the dry spell and the size of the affected area. 

The Drought Prone Areas Programme (DPAP) was started in 1973 during the Fourth Five Year Plan as an integrated area programme. Starting such a programme was felt necessary because 19 per cent of the total area of the country is drought prone and 12 per cent of the total population lives in such areas. 

The main objectives of DPAP are : 

• promoting a more productive dry land agriculture by water resources and agro-climatic factors, with suitable cropping patterns; 
• developing productive use of water resources of the area, soil and moisture conservation including water harvesting, and promoting proper land use; 
• promoting afforestation, including farm forestry; 
• developing livestock including development of pasture and fodder resources; and 
• promoting other diversified activities such as horticulture, sericulture, fisheries etc. 

The major components of the programme are :

• soil and water conservation and land shaping 
• afforestation and pasture development 
• water resources development. 

Seventy five per cent of annual allocations are earmarked for the core components (30 per cent for land shaping and soil conservation, 25 per cent for afforestation and pasture development, and 20 per cent for water resources development). 

During the Fourth Plan, the DPAP was in operation in 54 districts in 13 states. In the Sixth Plan Rs. 350 crore were allocated for DPAP out of which 88 per cent, that is Rs. 310 crore, was spent. The Seventh Plan recommended continuing the Sixth Plan strategy of stress on activities which directly contribute to the restoration of ecological balance, and its implementation as an integrated areas programme. The major shortcoming of the programme has been lack of planning and linkages with ongoing schemes of the state plan. Sometimes the availability of infrastructure was not surveyed before the plan was implemented. 

Desert Development Programme 

Nearly 218,000 square km.  in western Rajasthan and adjacent areas in Gujarat and Haryana make up the great Indian desert. This desert is hot. Besides this there is a cold desert in the northern part of the country in Ladakh and parts of Himachal Pradesh. Groundwater in desert areas is saline and not always fit for drinking or cultivation. Moreover, rangelands are often overgrazed. Consequently top soil cover i$ severely depleted and there are serious erosion problems. 

To develop the desert areas a Desert Afforestation  Centre was set up in Jodhpur in 1951-52.  In 1957 the Centre was renamed the Desert Afforestation and conservation station. Later the Central Arid Zone Research Institute was set up. A Desert Development Board was constituted in 1966 and several pilot projects were launched in four districts of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Haryana. In 1974; in it:  interim report, the National Commission on Agriculture stated that the desert areas faced different problems compared to those faced by semi-arid and dry sub-humid regions and stressed a different set of measures. On the recommendations of the National Commission on Agriculture, the Desert Development programme was launched in 1977-78.

The main objectives of the Desert Development programme are : 

• controlling desertification; 
• restoring ecological balance of certain desert and semi-desert areas; 
• creating conditions for raising the level of production, income; and 
• employing the people of these areas by increasing the productivity of land, water, livestock and human resources. 

The major components of the programme are afforestation, grassland development and sand dune stabilisation; optimum exploitation and conservation of ground water; construction of water harvesting structures; rural electrification for energising tube-wells and pump sets, and development of agriculture, horticulture and animal husbandry.

In 1989-90 the programme was in operation in 132 blocks in 21 districls in five states. The area was covered by about 0.36 million sq. km. and a population of 15 million was covered. The Centre bore the entire financial burden of the programme, which started as a central sector scheme, till 1978-79. In the Sixth Plan the cost was shared equally by the centre and the states. 

In the first two years allocations were made mainly on ad-hoc basis. From 1979-80 onwards funds were allocated on the basis of Rs. 15 lakhs per block per year with the Central and State governments each giving 7.5 lakhs. Raiasthan has shown a low utilisation of funds-merely  67 per cent. 

Hill Area Development Programme 

Hill areas make up 21 per cent of the total area of the country, and 9 per cent of the population of the country lives in these areas. The ecosystem in these areas is fragile. In order to protect the ecosystem and foster the basic life giving natural resources of these areas the Hill Area Development Programme (HADP) was initiated in 1974-75 under the Fifth Five Year Plan. The programme also sought to address the neglect faced by the people in hill areas as compared to people in the plains.

The basic objectives of the HADP are : 

• tackling the special problems in the hill areas relating to the terrain and the variable nature of the agro-climatic conditions in these areas; 
• investing in infrastructure facilities in hill areas characterised by high unit costs; and
• supplementing the efforts of the State governments in the development of hill areas.

In states such as Jammu and Kashrnir, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh and Mimram where hills cover almost the entire geographical area of the states (these states are called special category states), funds are allocated for hill area development while formulating their state plans. In other states where hills form only part of the geographical area of the state, the states form a sub plan under which special funds are earmarked for expenditure to develop these areas. The central government supplements these efforts by earmarking funds under HADP for the development of hills. 

In states like Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, a number of smaller administrative Units (talukas) benefit from a scheme called Western Ghats Development Programme (WGDP). 

In the Fifth Plan Rs. 170 crore were allocated for HADP including Rs. 20 crore for WGDP. In the sixth plan allocation was raised to Rs. 560 crore and in the seventh plan to Rs. 870 crore (including Rs. 75 crore and Rs. 116.50 crore for WGDP in the states, soil erosion and dc  forestation, loss of forest cover to meet firewood requirements. It has been felt necessary to support HADP with energy programmes, and livestock and cattle development programmes. 

Promote environmentally sound development in hill areas, and because of their links with the food processing industry, help to generate income. Another important thing to bear in mind is that transport and infrastructure facilities are developed adequately but in a non-environment friendly manner in the hill area.