The Rs 700-crore Integrated Project for Source Sustainability And Climate Resilient Rain-fed Agriculture could again be in jeopardy as the World Bank (WB) has taken serious note of the transfer of the two top Forest Department officials. It is violative of the agreement which says the key officials cannot be shifted at least for three years. The Country Director, World Bank, has written to the state government, requesting that the agreement must be honoured.

• The Chief Executive Director of the project was shifted on September 5 while the Executive Director was transferred three days later, evoking WB concern on the smooth implementation of the project.
• The matter has already been brought to the notice of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, but no final decision has been taken. It is also learnt that after the transfers last month, two officials had left the project and got posted elsewhere.
• The project, which will cover 428 panchayats in 10 districts (barring Kinnaur and Lahaul Spiti), was dropped once by the WB earlier and it was after Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur took up the matter with the Centre that it was revived on November 8, 2018. The project has 40 key officials which include the Chief Executive Director, the Executive Director, two finance and administration officials and 10 planning officers.
• The government agreed with the Department of Economic Affairs, as part of the readiness criteria for the project, that the “Tenure of the key staff should be three years or more,” the letter read.
• The WB Country Director further expressed apprehension that the project was still in a critical start-up phase and as such changes in the project leadership at this juncture may have a considerable adverse impact on the pace and efficiency of the project implementation.
• The project aims at doubling the income of farmers by 2022 by providing irrigation facility to them and facilitating transportation of their produce to markets.
• The project will primarily cover the leftout panchayats which could not be covered under the mid Himalayan project.
• The WB is averse to any changes made while the project is being implemented and this could result in serious problems.

Integrated Project for Source Sustainability and Climate Resilient Rain-fed Agriculture in Himachal Pradesh

The development objective of Integrated Project for Source Sustainability and climate Resilient Rain-fed Agriculture in Himachal Pradesh for India is to improve upstream watershed management and increase agricultural water productivity in selected Gram Panchayats in Himachal Pradesh.

This project has five components.

1) The first component, Sustainable Land and Water Resource Management, promotes participatory and sustainable land and water management (SLWM) through financing the planning and implementation of upstream investments in selected micro-catchments. It has the following subcomponents:

• (i) Improved planning for participatory and sustainable land and water management; and
• (ii) Implementation of participatory and SLWM investments as identified by the Gram Panchayat Resource Management Plan (GP-RMPs).

2) The second component, Improved Agricultural Productivity and Value Addition, aims to support interventions in downstream areas where the primary (existing or potential) water use is for irrigation in agriculture. It has the following subcomponents:

• (i) Improved water productivity; and
• (ii) Adoption of Climate Smart Technologies and Diversification into High-Value Crops.

3) The third component, Institutional capacity building for integrated watershed management, has the following subcomponents:

• (i) Improving the governance structure for integrated watershed management; and
• (ii) Institutional reform and strengthening of the Himachal Pradesh Forest Department.

4) The fourth component, Project Management, aims to support project management, including key staff and operational costs.