JOIN USGanga Kalyan scheme for minorities slows down in Bescom districts
Karnataka’s initiative to provide irrigation facilities to small farmers selected from minority communities for the Ganga Kalyan scheme is failing to yield desired results.
According to data accessed by DH, Bescom, which is responsible to energise pumpsets in eight districts — Bengaluru Urban, Bangaluru Rural, Chikkaballapur, Kolar, Davangere, Tumakuru, Chitradurga and Ramanagara — has failed to meet the target for nearly 10 years now. The implementation rate has come down further over the last three years with less than 50 per cent of the targeted farmers receiving the benefit.
While Bescom attributed the slowdown to the pandemic, sources in the power utility said they were processing all applications they receive and the Karnataka Minorities Development Corporation (KMDC) was not doing enough to spread the benefits of the scheme.
“Various corporations, including KMDC, which work towards the development of minority communities have been entrusted with getting the farmers to apply. Bescom is only responsible to process the applications and provide power infrastructure to energise the pumpsets. These corporations have failed to reach enough beneficiaries,” a senior Bescom official said.
Sources in KMDC said the authority was receiving a huge number of applications beyond capacity.
“Applications have been pending with KMDC and are being processed. Also, the government has cut the funds for the scheme ever since the pandemic,” another official said.
Senior KMDC officials, however, said the pandemic and excess rains had delayed the process.
“We could not process many applications during the pandemic. Hence, there has been a backlog,” a senior official said.
“Owing to heavy rains, we could not instal pumpsets in many farms. Hence, the entire process has been delayed. We have procured the pumpsets and the process is gathering pace,” the official said.