SHOPIAN: Deputy Commissioner Shopian, Shishir Gupta today flaged-off watershed yatra at Mini-secretariat Shopian and launches plantation drive in the campus, promoting environmental sustainable practices. The yatra emphasises the conservation and harvesting of water sources by involving communities. The programme is funded by the Department of Land Resources and implemented by the Rural Development Department under WDC- PMKSY 2.0.
Under the scheme various projects are taken up to conserve the water sources and to implement more crop per drop slogan including water harvesting tanks, irrigation channels, dykes, soil protection bunds, ponds, soakage pits, etc. Also livelihood projects are taken to enhance the income of farmers. The scheme has three stages of planning, execution and evaluation and is taken in coordination and in convergence of other departments like horticulture, agriculture , etc.
In district Shopian, the scheme has been implemented in various blocks of the district covering thousands of acres of land. Currently, the scheme is being implemented in block Chitragam and Imam Sahib. The institutions like SLNA, DWCs, PRIs are actively involved in the execution of the scheme and have benefited the agricultural and other communities to a larger extent. ADDC, Dr Nasir Ahmad Lone; ACD, Manzoor Ahmad and other officers and officials also attended the Yatra and plantation drive events.
