Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, Budget 2013-14, Provision of 50,000 Farm Ponds in Non-delta Districts, Amendment
The Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (CGS.1) Department issued G.O. (Ms) No.160 dated 19 December 2014, amending the earlier approval for 50,000 farm ponds under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. It permits the programme to cover 23 non-delta districts and 30 non-delta blocks in eight delta districts, instead of only 23 non-delta districts.
What the government changed
G.O. (Ms) No.160 dated 19 December 2014, issued by the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (CGS.1) Department, amends Government Letter No.10446/CGS.1/2013-2 dated 20 May 2013. The earlier programme provided for 50,000 farm ponds in 23 non-delta districts to help mitigate drought.
The amendment allows the same overall target of 50,000 farm ponds to be undertaken across:
- 23 non-delta districts, with a revised target of 45,650 ponds.
- 30 non-delta blocks in eight delta districts, with a target of 4,350 ponds.
The eight delta districts listed are Cuddalore, Karur, Tiruchirappalli, Pudukkottai, Ariyalur, Thanjavur, Nagapattinam and Tiruvarur. The annexure assigns ponds only to non-delta blocks in Cuddalore, Karur, Tiruchirappalli, Pudukkottai and Ariyalur. Thanjavur, Nagapattinam and Tiruvarur have no non-delta blocks or pond targets in the table.
Why the targets were redistributed
The Director of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj reported practical difficulty in identifying beneficiaries. Some selected beneficiaries were unwilling to part with their land for farm pond construction, which delayed the remaining works.
At the time of the proposal:
- 20,591 farm pond works had been taken up.
- 15,108 works had been completed.
- 5,483 works were in progress.
- 29,409 works remained to be taken up.
The 29,409 remaining works were redistributed between the 23 non-delta districts and eligible non-delta blocks in delta districts.
Who may be affected
The farm pond guidelines referred to in G.O. (Ms) No.160 cover lands belonging to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe farmers, small and marginal farmers, and other categories of farmers. Landholders selected for a farm pond may be directly affected because implementation requires identifying willing beneficiaries whose land can be used for the pond.
The annexure provides district targets and implementation figures. It does not set out land title changes, compensation terms, application procedures or individual beneficiary approvals.
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Common questions
Does G.O. (Ms) No.160 increase the total number of farm ponds?
No. The total remains 50,000 farm ponds. The amendment redistributes the target between 23 non-delta districts and 30 non-delta blocks in eight delta districts.
Can a farm pond be constructed in a delta district under this amendment?
Yes, but the annexure assigns targets only to non-delta blocks in Cuddalore, Karur, Tiruchirappalli, Pudukkottai and Ariyalur.
Why were 29,409 farm pond works still pending?
The Director of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj reported difficulty identifying beneficiaries because some selected beneficiaries were unwilling to part with their land for farm pond construction.
Does the document explain how an individual farmer can apply?
No. G.O. (Ms) No.160 provides amended geographical coverage, district targets and implementation figures, but does not provide an individual application procedure.
