UPSC GS Paper III: Agriculture - Irrigation PM Krishi Sinchayee Micro-irrigation Water Use

Must‑Know

• PM Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) launched in 2015–16 by merging Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP), Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP), and On-Farm Water Management (OFWM) component of National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA).
• PMKSY’s four components: Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP), Har Khet Ko Pani (HKKP), Per Drop More Crop (PDMC), and Watershed Development.
• AIBP, under Ministry of Jal Shakti, provides central assistance to states for completing prioritized medium and major irrigation projects (e.g., completion of Polavaram project in Andhra Pradesh).
• Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) component focuses on micro-irrigation (drip and sprinkler systems) and is implemented by Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare.
• Micro-irrigation increases water use efficiency by 30–50% compared to flood irrigation; adopted in water-stressed states like Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Gujarat.
• Drip irrigation delivers water directly to plant root zone; reduces evaporation and runoff; suitable for row crops like sugarcane, cotton, and vegetables.
• Sprinkler irrigation mimics rainfall; effective for uneven terrain and crops like wheat and maize; used in Rajasthan and Haryana.
• National Mission on Micro Irrigation (NMMI) launched in 2010; merged into PMKSY’s PDMC component in 2015.
• Water Use Efficiency (WUE) = Crop yield per unit of water used; micro-irrigation improves WUE by reducing non-beneficial evaporation and deep percolation.
• India uses about 70% of its available freshwater for irrigation, the highest sectoral use, according to Central Water Commission (CWC) 2023 data.
• Canal irrigation accounts for ~24% of net irrigated area; groundwater irrigation dominates (~47%) as per Ministry of Agriculture (2021–22).
• Over 60% of districts in India face groundwater over-exploitation, as per Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) 2022 assessment.
• Command Area Development and Water Management (CADWM) program initiated in 1974 to improve utilization of created irrigation potential in major and medium projects.
• CADWM now subsumed under AIBP component of PMKSY to ensure completed projects achieve full irrigation potential.
• Micro-irrigation coverage in India was ~9.5 million hectares as of 2022–23, against a potential of ~69.5 million hectares identified by National Water Mission.
• Israel supplies ~30% of drip irrigation technology used in India, especially in Maharashtra’s sugarcane belt.
• The term "Har Khet Ko Pani" refers to the goal of providing assured irrigation to every farm field; includes development of water sources, distribution networks, and last-mile connectivity.
• Watershed Development under PMKSY includes rainwater harvesting, contour bunding, and afforestation to improve groundwater recharge in rain-fed areas.
• Maharashtra’s Watershed Development Project in Sukhomajri and Haryali projects demonstrated 30–40% increase in groundwater levels over 5 years.
• Water Budgeting under PMKSY involves assessing water availability and demand at Gram Panchayat level to prepare Village Hydrology Units.
• The National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) uses satellite data to monitor micro-irrigation coverage and command area utilization under PMKSY.
• States with highest micro-irrigation adoption: Maharashtra (over 1.8 million ha), Karnataka (1.5 million ha), and Gujarat (1.2 million ha) as per 2022 data.
• Per Drop More Crop component provides 55% subsidy to small and marginal farmers and 45% to others for micro-irrigation systems.
• Micro-irrigation reduces fertilizer use by 20–30% due to fertigation, improving input efficiency and reducing leaching.

Difficulty Level

Intermediate – requires integration of schemes, components, data, and technical terms frequently tested in prelims and mains.

Common UPSC Traps

Trap: PMKSY is implemented solely by the Ministry of Agriculture – Fact: PMKSY is a centrally sponsored scheme implemented by multiple ministries: Jal Shakti (AIBP, HKKP), Agriculture (PDMC), and Rural Development (Watershed Development).
Trap: Drip irrigation is suitable for all crops including paddy – Fact: Drip irrigation is not ideal for paddy (flooded conditions); it is best suited for horticulture and row crops; sprinkler systems are sometimes adapted but not standard.
Trap: Water Use Efficiency is the same as irrigation efficiency – Fact: Water Use Efficiency (WUE) measures yield per unit water, while irrigation efficiency is the ratio of water stored in root zone to water applied; WUE includes agronomic and climatic factors.
Trap: All components of PMKSY were newly created in 2015 – Fact: PMKSY merged pre-existing programs like AIBP (1996), IWMP (2009), and NMMI (2010) under a new umbrella.
Trap: Micro-irrigation covers more than 50% of India’s net irrigated area – Fact: As of 2022–23, micro-irrigation covers less than 15% of net irrigated area (~9.5 million ha out of ~68 million ha).

Practice MCQs

Question: Which of the following are components of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY)?
1. Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme
2. Per Drop More Crop
3. National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture
4. Watershed Development
A) 1 and 2 only
B) 1, 2 and 4 only
C) 2, 3 and 4 only
D) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Answer: B
Explanation: PMKSY includes AIBP, Per Drop More Crop, Har Khet Ko Pani, and Watershed Development; NMSA is a separate mission, though its OFWM component was integrated.
Why others fail: Option D is tempting because NMSA is linked to agriculture and water, but only a sub-component was merged into PMKSY.

Question: Consider the following statements about micro-irrigation in India:
1. It improves water use efficiency by reducing evapotranspiration.
2. It enables fertigation, reducing fertilizer consumption.
3. It is predominantly used in paddy cultivation in eastern India.
Which of the statements given above is组织开展 (are correct)?
A) 1 and 2 only
B) 2 and 3 only
C) 1 and 3 only
D) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: A
Explanation: Micro-irrigation reduces non-beneficial evaporation and enables fertigation; however, it is not widely used in paddy, which relies on flood irrigation.
Why others fail: Statement 3 is incorrect but tempting due to high paddy area; micro-irrigation adoption is low in eastern India.

Question: The Command Area Development and Water Management (CADWM) program is now subsumed under which component of PMKSY?
A) Per Drop More Crop
B) Har Khet Ko Pani
C) Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme
D) Watershed Development
Answer: C
Explanation: CADWM was merged into AIBP to improve utilization of completed irrigation projects.
Why others fail: Option B is tempting because HKKP deals with field-level irrigation, but CADWM is specifically linked to major/medium projects under AIBP.

Question: Which of the following best defines Water Use Efficiency (WUE) in agriculture?
A) Ratio of water stored in root zone to water applied
B) Volume of water saved through micro-irrigation
C) Crop yield per unit of water consumed
D) Percentage of rainfall utilized in farming
Answer: C
Explanation: WUE is defined as the ratio of crop yield (kg/ha) to total evapotranspiration or water consumed (mm).
Why others fail: Option A describes irrigation efficiency, not WUE, a common confusion.

Question: Under PMKSY, what is the subsidy percentage for micro-irrigation systems for small and marginal farmers?
A) 40%
B) 50%
C) 55%
D) 60%
Answer: C
Explanation: Small and marginal farmers receive 55% subsidy under Per Drop More Crop; others receive 45%.
Why others fail: Option B is tempting as 50% is a common benchmark, but 55% is specific to SMFs.

Question: Which Indian state has the highest area under micro-irrigation?
A) Gujarat
B) Karnataka
C) Maharashtra
D) Tamil Nadu
Answer: C
Explanation: Maharashtra leads with over 1.8 million hectares under micro-irrigation, primarily drip in sugarcane.
Why others fail: Gujarat is often associated with irrigation reforms, but Maharashtra has the largest coverage.

Question: Which organization uses satellite data to monitor irrigation projects under PMKSY?
A) Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
B) National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC)
C) Survey of India
D) National Water Development Agency (NWDA)
Answer: B
Explanation: NRSC, a part of ISRO, provides satellite-based monitoring of command areas and micro-irrigation coverage.
Why others fail: Option A is tempting as NRSC is under ISRO, but NRSC is the specific implementing body.

Last‑Minute Revision

• PMKSY launched in 2015–16.
• PMKSY has four components: AIBP, HKKP, PDMC, Watershed Development.
• AIBP supports completion of major/medium irrigation projects.
• PDMC focuses on micro-irrigation (drip and sprinkler).
• Micro-irrigation improves water use efficiency by 30–50%.
• Drip irrigation: delivers water to root zone; best for sugarcane, cotton.
• Sprinkler irrigation: mimics rainfall; used in wheat, maize.
• NMMI (2010) merged into PDMC.
• India uses 70% of freshwater for agriculture.
• Groundwater irrigation: ~47% of net irrigated area.
• Over 60% of districts are groundwater over-exploited (CGWB 2022).
• CADWM started in 1974; now under AIBP.
• Micro-irrigation coverage: ~9.5 million ha (2022–23).
• Potential micro-irrigation area: ~69.5 million ha.
• Israel supplies major drip tech to India.
• Har Khet Ko Pani: last-mile irrigation connectivity.
• Watershed Development includes rainwater harvesting and bunding.
• Sukhomajri project improved groundwater levels.
• Water Budgeting done at Gram Panchayat level.
• NRSC monitors PMKSY projects via satellite.
• Maharashtra has highest micro-irrigation area.
• Subsidy for SMFs: 55% under PDMC.
• Fertigation reduces fertilizer use by 20–30%.
• ⚠️ Paddy is not suitable for drip irrigation.
• ⚠️ WUE ≠ irrigation efficiency.