» Irrigation Department

Mandate of the Department :

a)	The Irrigation Department, created in the year 1974 by bifurcating it from the erstwhile F.C & I Department, is playing a vital role in the development of the Irrigation potential of Assam for boosting up the Agricultural production in the state. The Irrigation Department along with ASMIDC Ltd. (Presently merged with Irrigation Dept.) has achieved an Irrigation potential of 6.84 Lakh Hectares up to March 2006. Out of this 2.15 Lakh hectares under Minor Irrigation Sector and 1.49 Lakh hectares under ASMIDC sector and the rest i.e. 3.20 Lakh hectares is under Major & Medium Irrigation Sector.
	The main objectives/roles of the Irrigation Department are:
	I.	Increase in agricultural production of the state by introduction of high yielding variety crops with the help of agriculture extension services
	II.	Assured irrigation water during all seasons to the cultivators and protection against famine in addition to creation of irrigation potential through irrigation schemes
	III.	Utilization of 6.84 Lakh Hect. of created irrigation potential to raise the socioeconomic condition of the farmers, by adopting multiple cropping through Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM)
	IV.	Creation of additional Potential through Major, Medium and Minor Irrigation schemes, targeting to cover the entire ultimate Irrigation Potential of 27 Lakh Hect.
	V.	Increasing Irrigation Intensity and practicing multiple cropping, thereby uplifting the socioeconomic conditions of the people of the state
	VI.	Generation of hydroelectric power from Canal Drop/Fall
	VII.	Improvement of Rural Communication using inspection path provided along important canals
	VIII.	Employment to educated unemployed youths and landless farmers

Organizational Structure

Administrative Department

The Secretary to the Government is the Administrative Head of the Irrigation Department. All matters relating to appointment, promotion, leave, confidential matters, discipline and appellate matters are to be settled by the Secretary as the Head of the Department. He is assisted by a good number of subordinate staff both technical & non-technical.

Directorates under the Department

The Chief Engineer is the Professional Head of the Department at the Directorate Level. He is the Professional Advisor to the Government on the all round development under Major & Medium Irrigation sector. The Chief Engineer is to look after the establishment matters, confidential matters, discipline and appeal matters and all the allied subjects of the Officers and subordinate establishments. The Chief Engineer prepares the Annual Plan and Work Programme for the Irrigation Sector. He is also responsible for implementation of related Government Policy in the State.

The Chief Engineer(Minor Irrigation), both the Chairman-cum-Managing Directors of Upper Assam & Lower, Assam Command Area Development Authority and the Additional Chief Engineer(Inspection & Quality Control) administers independently under the Secretary, Irrigation Department.

Activities of the Department

Description of the main Plans/ Programs / schemes implemented:

The State-wise Irrigation program was formally started in the Vth Five Year Plan. Upto the early part of VIIth Plan, the department has completed 10 Major/ Medium Projects and 1321 Minor Irrigation Schemes. Due to low Plan Allocation during the VIIIth Plan, 10 Major/Medium Projects and 1327 Minor Irrigation Schemes spilled over to the IXth Plan.

The Plan Allocation further deteriorated during IXth Plan and salary expenditure increased due to Revision of Pay Scale and thus leaving hardly any fund for execution of Works and for this practically no work could be completed out of the Normal Plan Allocation after meeting the salary expenses. However some works of Major/Medium Projects were taken up under Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) fund since 1996-97 and some works of Minor Irrigation schemes under AIBP, NLCP (Non Lapsable Central Pool of Resources), ARIASP (Assam Rural Infrastructure and Agriculture Services Project funded by the World Bank) and lately under RIDF-X (Rural Infrastructure Development Fund) from NABARD.