Kathmandu, April 19
The Ministry of Irrigation has proposed a budget of 25 billion rupees for the launch of a programme meant to bring prosperity to the Tarai.
The special programme titled Samvriddha Tarai-Madhesh Vishesh Karyakram will cover 22 districts in the Tarai and the inner Madhesh, including Udayapur, Makwanpur, Dang and Chitwan.
The ministry plans to launch the five-year programme in the fiscal year 2073-74.
Madhav Belbase, chief of the Planning Directorate at the ministry, said: For the upcoming fiscal alone, the ministry has proposed a budget of Rs 2.3 billion.
He said: One or the other district in the country’s grain basket suffers from drought every year, causing a decline in farm yields. In view of this situation, the ministry felt the need to launch a special programme targeting the Tarai.
Ambitious under-constructon irrigation projects will take 8-10 years to complete, he said, adding: We are proposing this programme to increase farm yields sooner than later in the Tarai and bring prosperity there.
He claimed that Tarai’s farm yields will double if the government chooses to launch this programme.
