Integrated Watershed Management Programme

In the year 2008, the Ministry of Rural Development have brought forth a comprehensive programme named Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP) with an aim to restore the ecological balance by harnessing, conserving and developing degraded natural resources such as soil, vegetative cover, water and building sustainable livelihoods for rural poor. Accordingly, the GoI has sanctioned 110 projects for 2009-10 and 171 projects for 2010-11 to the State of Andhra Pradesh. State Level Nodal Agency (SLNA) has been implementing all IWMP projects with the support of DWMA and selected NGOs in 12 districts as per the Common Guidelines of the Department of Land Resources, GoI.

SERP is implementing 9% livelihood component of IWMP in convergence with SLNA. SERP and SLNA entered into an MoU for implementation of livelihood component and separate accounts for all VOs under watershed areas were opened. Livelihood funds are released to SERP by SLNA in two spells i.e. 60% and 40%.

The process of implementation is as follows:



Under Spell 1 (60%) of the first two batches i.e. 2009-10 and 2010-11, livelihood funds were sent to Village Organizations through Mandal Samakhyas for grounding of livelihood assets to 30,785 landless PoP families. 92% of the families have already received assets as per Utilization Certificates entered in web. More than 70% families opted for livestock in form of cow, buffalo and small ruminants (goat and sheep). Further, under Spell 2 (60%) of Batches 2009-10 and 2010-11 and Spell 1 of Batch 2011-12, assets shall be grounded for 37,812 families by Village Organizations. Funds shall be routed to VOs through Stree Nidhi for regular tracking, repayment and recycling and asset and loan insurance to beneficiaries.