People’s Participation and Impact of Micro Watershed Project: An Analysis of the Beneficiary Farmer’s Perceived Impact of Jalyukt Shivar of Maharashtra, India

Abstract

Despite being one of India’s wealthiest states, Maharashtra has the highest number of farmer suicides. Research links farmer suicides to monsoon failure, drought and a lack of social security. To make the state drought-free by 2019, the state government launched the ‘Jalyukt Shivar Scheme’ on 26 January 2015. According to the State Economic Survey 2019–20, the programme has spent ₹9,488 crore on 6.28 lakh works in the 5 years since its inception, has eliminated drought in 19,655 villages, and has stored 26.52 TMC of water. However, regardless of the government’s assertions, experts and non-government organisations question the scheme’s efficacy and scientific validity. After the 2019 state assembly elections, the new Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi Government discontinued the scheme. Nevertheless, examining the scheme’s implementation and effectiveness would shape future policy and watershed project execution. The study has assessed the farmer’s perceived effectiveness of the scheme. To assess the beneficiary farmer’s perceived impact of the scheme, the Jalyukt Shivar impact assessment scale was developed. Confirmatory factor analysis and Cronbach’s alpha ensured the validity and reliability of the scale. Structural equation modelling shows that public participation is a significant predictor of the irrigation impact of the scheme, and irrigation impact mediates the outcome of agriculture and environmental impact, socio-economic impact and impact on women. The findings reveal that the programme remained a supply-side initiative in the absence of people’s participation. For the watershed project to achieve its goals, the study advocated active public participation at all stages of its implementation. JEL Codes: Q15, Q18, Q25, Q28, R58