Hyderabad: Telangana's share in the total investment of Rs 5.5 lakh crore attracted by country's irrigation sector has doubled to about 12 per cent in ten years from 2004-05 to 2014-15, says a study.
Andhra Pradesh attracted around 11 per cent investment from both public and private sources across India in the decade, the Assocham's 'Irrigation investment in India: State level experience' study said.
"While regions that now comprise Telangana state have managed to almost double its share in investments attracted by irrigation sector from about 6 per cent in 2004-05, share of regions in the new Andhra Pradesh state remained more or less unchanged at about 11 per cent," the study said.
However, Gujarat's share declined from 25 per cent to just 5 per cent during the said period, Assocham said in a statement. India's public sector accounted for almost 98 per cent of investment projects in the irrigation sector, it said.
"Government needs to bring in policy changes to improve efficiencies, encourage accountability, transparency, willingness to promote irrigation development thereby ensuring that irrigation services are more resource-efficient, responsive to farmers needs and equitable," Secretary General of Assocham D S Rawat said.
The investment in the sector too increased at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 11 per cent during the decade from about Rs two lakh crore in 2004-05 to over Rs 5.5 lakh crore in 2014-15, Assocham Economic Research Bureau
(AERB) said in a study.
Though Tamil Nadu accounted for less than one per cent share in total investments attracted by irrigation sector in the country. It has clocked highest CAGR of over 32 per cent during the last decade followed by Jammu and Kashmir (25.5 per cent), Chhattisgarh (22.6 per cent), Jharkhand (20 per cent) and Telangana (19 per cent).
Investments attracted by irrigation sector in Gujarat also declined at a CAGR of over 5 per cent in the ten year's time. Over 84 per cent of the total irrigation projects remained under implementation as of 2014-15. Out of the total 361 live investment projects in the sector, 248 projects remained stuck and of these 189 reported time/cost overrun, it noted.
Cost of about 178 projects has risen by a whopping 61 per cent by about Rs 2.5 lakh crore from their actual cost of Rs four lakh crore. Cost of delayed irrigation projects in
Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Telangana have increased by about 21 per cent, 18 per cent, 14 per cent, 12 per cent and nine per cent, respectively.
Projects in Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Bihar, UP and Kerala are facing maximum delay. All state governments should set up an irrigation development authority to look after such projects so they complete on time, Assocham suggested.
