Gadchiroli stands out for exemplary work in water conservation under PMDDKY

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The once Naxal-hit area has transformed drought-affected areas into greener landscapes and achieved new milestones in agricultural production

By Prabhudatta Mishra

Updated - October 16, 2026 at 09:07 PM. | New Delhi

Once known for being affected by Naxalism, Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra has done exemplary work in water conservation and drought management, transforming drought-affected areas into greener landscapes and achieving new milestones in agricultural production under the Centre’s Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PMDDKY).

Despite receiving 1,200–1,400 mm of rainfall during the June-September monsoon season, Gadchiroli faces challenges is water-retention challenges. Nearly 84 per cent of the district’s area lies on metamorphic or hard rock, limiting natural water retention. Consequently, surface water levels decline rapidly during the post-monsoon period (October-February). In summer (March-May), agricultural fields face moisture stress and are often left fallow, while drinking water needs compete with irrigation requirements.

In the current fiscal, the district’s monthly ranking under PMDDKY slipped to 42 in September from 26 in July, not because of a decline in performance but owing to improvements in other districts. Its composite score, based on 121 parameters, has risen steadily from 16.08 in April 2026 to 59.54 in September. In March 2026, Gadchiroli ranked 96 among the 100 districts covered by the scheme.

No separate allocation

Under PMDDKY, the Centre aims to improve agricultural productivity, promote crop diversification, strengthen post-harvest storage, expand irrigation and improve access to credit in 100 selected districts. These districts were identified on the basis of three key indicators: low agricultural productivity, low cropping intensity and low credit disbursement. The scheme has no separate Budget allocation, with 36 existing schemes across 11 departments prioritised for implementation in the selected districts. The Centre has also appointed a senior nodal officer for each district, although no accountability mechanism has been specified.

Avishyant Panda, District Collector of Gadchiroli, told businessline that 6,820 water conservation structures had been completed under PMDDKY in the past year. These include recharge shafts, farm ponds, farm bunding, honeycomb technology and desiltation works.

“This has resulted in creation of additional 18,831 TCM (Thousand Cubic Meters) of new storage for protective irrigation in the district,” he said, adding that this was enough to irrigate over 9,000 hectares of farmland.

Improving water security

Panda said that assured irrigation had helped expand the area under Rabi cultivation to 45,143 hectares from 35,661 hectares earlier. The district has 2.11 lakh hectares of farmland cultivated during the Kharif season.

In his presentation at the recent PMDDKY event, Panda highlighted the interventions in Nelgunda, a village 173 km from the district headquarters, along the Chhattisgarh border. The village, he said, demonstrated how patient, trust-led engagement could improve water security in some of India’s most remote, Left-Wing Extremism (LWE)-affected villages. The creation of water storage capacity of 282 TCM in Nelgunda has provided assured irrigation to 62 hectares of farmland.

In early 2025, when the taluka (tehsil) agriculture officer visited Nelgunda, he was met with curiosity and scepticism amid poor road connectivity and difficult terrain. Development projects were virtually absent, making even a discussion on water conservation unusual, Panda said. However, patient dialogue, repeated visits and community participation gradually built trust over the past year, as residents began to see the results of the water conservation works.

Published on October 15, 2026

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