Revision summary
Irrigation water is mainly a State List subject; the Union enters through finance and inter-State rivers. States run canals, minor irrigation, and groundwater practice, including farm-power subsidies. AIBP and command-area programmes were the older Union tools to finish projects and field channels. PMKSY (2015) bundles Har Khet Ko Pani, watershed, and Per Drop More Crop. About half of net sown area is irrigated; micro-irrigation stretches scarce water rather than replacing rain.
Model answer
Introduction
Water for irrigation is mainly a State subject, yet large dams, inter-State rivers, and finance pull the Union in. Access has grown, but about half of India’s net sown area is still irrigated and the rest waits on rain. Roles therefore split: States build and run most systems; the Union funds, coordinates, and now umbrellas the work under PMKSY.
Body
States
- Entry 17 of the State List covers water, irrigation, canals, drainage, and embankments, so minor irrigation, tube wells, and most canal operation sit with States.
- States run irrigation acts, water-user associations, power subsidy that drives groundwater, and command-area field channels without which a dam does not water the tail-end.
- Groundwater regulation, or its absence, is also a State choice, which is why some blocks are over-exploited while a neighbouring State still expands free farm power.
Union
- Inter-State rivers (Union List Entry 56), central funding, and NABARD’s RIDF bring the Centre into major and medium projects.
- The Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme and Command Area Development were the older Union windows to finish incomplete projects and last-mile channels.
- Central Ground Water Board maps stress; the Union also uses Finance Commission grants and disaster funds when drought empties tanks.
How PMKSY helps access
- Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (2015) folded AIBP, watershed (IWMP), and micro-irrigation into one umbrella: water to the field, and more crop per drop.
- Har Khet Ko Pani aims to extend irrigation to unirrigated holdings through surface projects, lift, and groundwater where it is still safe.
- Per Drop More Crop funds drip and sprinkler so that a scarce canal turn or a deep well actually reaches a larger area.
- PMKSY 2.0 and the NABARD Micro Irrigation Fund try to close incomplete commands and raise efficiency rather than only announce new dams.
Access improves when a State completes the field channel and the Union pays for the missing link. A scheme letter without power reform and groundwater honesty will not irrigate the rainfed half.
Flow diagram
flowchart TD S[States canals wells CAD] --> A[Field access] U[Union AIBP RIDF CGWB] --> A P[PMKSY] --> H[Har Khet Ko Pani] P --> D[Per Drop More Crop] H --> A D --> A
Conclusion
States own most irrigation law and last-mile channels; the Union finances, maps, and coordinates inter-State water. PMKSY improved access by bundling project completion, watershed, and micro-irrigation. About half of net sown area still needs that combined push, not only a new dam name.
Quick related
Students also ask
-
Critically evaluate the strategy of poverty alleviation programmes in India, in recent years.
Next question in the 2024 paper (Q14). View answer →
-
Can the Union build a canal without the State?
Major finance and inter-State rivers pull the Union in, but operation, field channels, and most minor irrigation still need the State.
-
Does PMKSY replace rainfall?
No. It stores, conveys, and stretches water. Reservoirs and aquifers still refill from rain.
PYQ trend
When UPSC asked this
Related PYQs from other years, newest first. Open a question to read it.
-
2025 · Q7 · UPGS3 · 8 marks
Examine how the recent developments in biotechnology, particularly genome editing, are reshaping India's agricultural productivity and climate resilience, citing specific examples from 2024–2025. -
2025 · Q11 · UPGS3 · 12 marks
Rainfall and irrigation systems are complementary to each other as agriculture sector is highly vulnerable to weather variability. Justify with supportive data. -
2022 · Q1 · UPGS3 · 8 marks
What do you understand by digital agriculture? Comment on its benefits. -
2022 · Q16 · UPGS3 · 12 marks
Define nanoscience and nanotechnology. Explain in detail their potential in different fields of science and agriculture. -
2021 · Q5 · UPGS3 · 8 marks
What is Technology Mission in agriculture? State its usefulness. -
2021 · Q7 · UPGS3 · 8 marks
‘Uttar Pradesh has a prominent position in the production of food crops in the country.’ Evaluate the statement. -
2020 · Q5 · UPGS3 · 8 marks
What are the causes of low agricultural productivity in India? -
2020 · Q6 · UPGS3 · 8 marks
What is 'S-CNG'? Describe its different uses.
More from this paper
Q1 · UPSC Mains 2024 · UPGS3 · 8 marks
Highlight the key components of upstream and downstream activities in food processing supply chain management with suitable examples.
Food processing
Food-processing supply chains split into upstream gathering and downstream value-addition. Upstream covers farm output, FPO and mandi aggregation, and primary processing such as milling and chilling. PMKSY SAMPADA supports parks, cold chains, and clusters that join the two halves. Downstream covers secondary processing, FSSAI packing, branding, and organised retail or export. A chain fails if the cold link or the price signal back to the farmer is missing.
Q2 · UPSC Mains 2024 · UPGS3 · 8 marks
Give a brief account of measures adopted by the Government to provide adequate credit to the farmers.
Budget and financial system
KCC is the main short-term farm and allied credit instrument. Interest subvention and priority-sector rules cheapen and expand bank lending. NABARD refinances cooperatives and RRBs and funds rural infrastructure around the loan. PM-KISAN supports cash flow; PMFBY and warehouse receipts cut default risk. SHG and JLG routes try to reach those without land title.
Q3 · UPSC Mains 2024 · UPGS3 · 8 marks
Was the 'Bhoodan Movement' a part of land reforms in India? Discuss its major effects.
Land reforms
Bhoodan began with Vinoba Bhave in 1951 as a voluntary land-gift campaign. It belongs to the land-reform story in aim, not as a replacement for zamindari, tenancy, and ceiling statutes. Pledged acres exceeded securely mutated titles, so the legal harvest was thin. Gramdan tried community vesting of village land. The lasting effect is moral history plus some plots, not a finished redistribution.
Toppers' copies
Toppers' copies for this question will be uploaded soon.