Construction of Water Storage Tanks for Drip Irrigation

What is the Construction of Water Storage Tanks for Drip Irrigation scheme?

Construction of Water Storage Tanks for Drip Irrigation is a Gujarat state scheme introduced by the Agriculture, Farmers Welfare and Co-operation Department. The scheme pays part of the cost of building a cemented water storage tank on a farm, so that a drip irrigation system has a reliable buffer of water to draw from instead of depending on the hours when a canal turn or a borewell is running.

According to the scheme details published on the myScheme portal, the notified unit cost of construction is Rs 1,00,000 per tank. Against that unit cost:

• General category farmers receive 50 per cent, up to Rs 50,000.
• Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe farmers receive 75 per cent, up to Rs 75,000.

The tank must hold at least 25.50 cubic metres, and the farmer must have a drip set installed. Older i-Khedut circulars list this component as scheme number 73.

Why the scheme exists

• Gujarat's canal rotations and electricity supply for agricultural pumps run to a schedule, not to the crop's daily requirement. A tank decouples the two.
• Drip irrigation works best at a steady low pressure over long hours, which a direct pump connection cannot always give.
• Water stored and delivered through drip lines cuts evaporation and runoff losses compared with flood irrigation on the same plot.

Main features

• Cash subsidy paid by Direct Benefit Transfer into the farmer's own bank account after construction is verified.
• Applied for only through i-Khedut, the department's single-window portal.
• No income limit for the individual or the family.
• One benefit per i-Khedut account, not repeatable.
• A cost certificate from a Government Valuer, Taluka Surveyor or MNREGA surveyor is mandatory.

Who is eligible for the water storage tank scheme?

You can apply if:

• You are a farmer and a resident of Gujarat.
• You hold agricultural land in your own name, evidenced by the village form 7/12 for the survey number where the tank will stand.
• You plan to construct a cemented water storage tank with a capacity of at least 25.50 cubic metres.
• You have installed, or will install, a drip irrigation set, which is compulsory under this scheme.
• You have an Aadhaar number and a bank account in your own name that can receive Direct Benefit Transfer.
• You can obtain the cost certificate from a Government Valuer, Taluka Surveyor or MNREGA surveyor.

You cannot apply, or will not be eligible, if:

• You are building an earthen or plastic-lined farm pond rather than a cemented tank. Only cemented structures qualify here.
• Your planned tank is smaller than 25.50 cubic metres.
• You have no drip irrigation set and no intention of installing one.
• You are not a resident of Gujarat, or hold no land record in the state.
• You have already taken this benefit once on your i-Khedut account. The scheme is a one-time benefit per account.
• You cannot produce the mandatory cost certificate.

Note what is not a bar. There is no income limit, no age limit and no minimum land holding published for this component. General category farmers are fully eligible, they simply draw the 50 per cent rate rather than the 75 per cent rate available to SC and ST farmers.

How much benefit does the scheme provide?

The notified unit cost is Rs 1,00,000 per tank. The subsidy released is the lower of the applicable percentage of the actual verified cost and the ceiling. A general category farmer who builds a tank for Rs 70,000 therefore receives Rs 35,000, not Rs 50,000, because 50 per cent of the verified cost is the binding figure. A farmer who spends Rs 1,50,000 on a larger tank still receives only the ceiling amount.

Payment is a one-time transfer made after the tank is built and physically verified by the Taluka Agriculture Office. There is no instalment schedule and no annual renewal.

What documents are required?

How to apply for the water storage tank scheme

1. Open the i-Khedut portal at ikhedut.gujarat.gov.in and register as an applicant, keeping your Aadhaar number and your mobile phone available for verification.
2. On the home page click Schemes, then Agricultural Schemes (Khetivadi), and locate the water storage tank component for drip irrigation.
3. Click Apply against the component. The application page opens.
4. Click Apply New and enter your personal details, survey number, land area, planned tank capacity in cubic metres, drip set details and bank account details.
5. Use Update Application to correct anything before you finalise, then press Confirm. An unconfirmed application is never forwarded to the Taluka Agriculture Office.
6. Take a printout of the confirmed application, attach the 7/12, Aadhaar copy, bank passbook copy, caste certificate if applicable and the surveyor's cost certificate, and submit or upload the set.
7. Wait for the pre-approval order before starting construction, then build the tank to at least 25.50 cubic metres.
8. Request physical verification, upload the construction bills, and the subsidy is released to your bank account.

How to apply with assistance offline

1. Visit your Gram Panchayat VCE centre, a common service centre or the Taluka Agriculture Office with your Aadhaar card, 7/12 record, bank passbook and cost certificate.
2. Ask the operator to file the i-Khedut application for you, since the portal accepts only online submissions.
3. Collect the printed confirmed application carrying your application number.
4. Submit the signed hard copy with attachments at the Taluka Agriculture Office and keep the receiving acknowledgement.

District and taluka office contact details are listed on the i-Khedut public contacts page.

How to check your application status

1. Go to ikhedut.gujarat.gov.in and open the Applicant Corner.
2. Select Check application status.
3. Enter the application number and the mobile number registered with the application.
4. Use the same corner to view, reprint or upload documents against a submitted application.

Why applications get rejected

• Tank below 25.50 cubic metres, measured at physical verification. This is a hard specification, not a guideline.
• Non-cemented structure, such as a lined pond, built instead of a cemented tank.
• No drip irrigation set, which makes the tank ineligible under this particular component.
• Missing cost certificate from the Government Valuer, Taluka Surveyor or MNREGA surveyor.
• Construction started before pre-approval, which normally forfeits the claim.
• Repeat claim on the same i-Khedut account, since the benefit is one-time.
• Name mismatch between the 7/12 record, the Aadhaar card and the bank account, which stops the Direct Benefit Transfer even after sanction.

Most of these are avoidable by reading the component page on i-Khedut before starting work and by getting the cost certificate arranged early, since the surveyor's appointment is often the slowest step.

Key dates and the application window

Construction of Water Storage Tanks for Drip Irrigation is not open every day of the year. The Agriculture Department opens the component on i-Khedut for a limited window, usually once the annual allocation is released, and closes it when the district target is filled. Watch the news and circulars section of ikhedut.gujarat.gov.in, because a window can open and close within a few weeks and there is no late submission facility.

Help and grievance redressal

• Taluka Agriculture Office for application, verification and payment queries.
• District Agriculture Officer for delays and for budget-related deferrals.
• i-Khedut public contacts page at ikhedut.gujarat.gov.in/Public/frm_Public_Contacts.aspx for the correct officer in your district.
• Applicant Corner on the portal for status checks, reprints and document uploads.

Applying on i-Khedut is free. No agent can charge a fee to have a tank subsidy sanctioned, and no officer will ask you for an OTP.