Konda Reddi tribes: 

• It is one of the most backward tribal groups in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. They inhabit both the banks of the Godavari River (East and West Godavari districts), in the hilly-forest region of Khammam (Telangana) and Srikakulam (Andhra Pradesh).
• They live in the interior forest areas largely cut-off from the mainstream. Traditionally, they were shifting cultivators and recently, some of them have adopted settled agriculture and horticulture. Collection of non timber forest products and basket-making supplement the sources of their livelihood.
• Their mother tongue is Telugu with a unique accent.
• Konda Reddis have also been recognized as Primitive Tribal Group (now Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups)
• The Konda Reddis are known for their Eco-friendly practices such as use of household articles made of bamboo, bottle gourd, and seed.
• The tribal people inhabiting the forest and hill ranges are entitled to collect every form of bamboo tree, which is classified as Minor Forest Produce (MFP). They have the right to exploit its commercial value for their livelihood.

• ICID awards the World Heritage Irrigation Structures (WHIS) awards for Irrigation Structures that are more than 100 years old and are still functioning. It includes both old operational irrigation structures as well as those having archival value. This recognition is on the lines of World Heritage Sites (as recognized by UNESCO). Maximum four awards under the WHIS category are given every year.
• The Indian National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage (INCID) is the representative National Committee for India in the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID), primarily working for bringing improvements in irrigation and drainage in India.
• INCID and ICID were both formed on 24th June 1950. INCID was created to cater specifically to India’s needs for improvements in irrigation & drainage, through closer & active interactions with ICID.
• The Remote Sensing Directorate, CWC serves as the INCID secretariat.

WHIS AWARDS 2023

WHIS AWARDS 2022

WHIS AWARDS 2020

Polavaram Project:

It is an under-construction multi-purpose irrigation project on the Godavari River in the Eluru District and East Godavari District in Andhra Pradesh. The project has been accorded National project status by the Union Government of India in 2014 under Section-90 of Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act, 2014.

 

Background on Polavaram (Interstate Agreement):

• Indira Sagar Polavaram, an interstate project on the Godavari river has been conceptualised as a part of the recommendations of the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal (GWDT).
• The GWDT finalised this award in 1980.
• The award identifies projects that can be undertaken by the co-basin states of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh (including Chhattisgarh), Orissa, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh (Andhra Pradesh) on the main Godavari river and its tributaries. As a part of this award, the States of Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa entered into an agreement on 02.04.1980 to allow the Polavaram project to be taken up by Andhra Pradesh.
• The agreement provides for the construction of the project with a spillway discharge capacity of 3.6 million cusecs at full reservoir level of 150 feet and 140 feet reservoir level, not less than 2 million cusecs at 130 feet reservoir level.
• To protect land and property above 150 feet level in Orissa and Chhattisgarh, provision has been made for protective dams with adequate water flow at the cost of the same project. The relevant provision of this Agreement is set out below.
• “The Polavaram Project spillway will be designed for a flood flow capacity of 36 lakh cusecs at 140 feet pond level and 20 lakh cusecs at 130 feet pond level.
• To protect the land and property above 150 feet in the area likely to be affected due to the construction of Polavaram project in Orissa, a protective dam with adequate water flow will be constructed and repaired at the cost of the Polavaram project. However, the State of Orissa may exercise an option at the time of construction of the Polavaram Project for compensation for land and property affected beyond 150 feet as agreed in the case of the State of Madhya Pradesh (now Chhattisgarh). In Madhya Pradesh (now Chhattisgarh) area for damage caused to land above 150 feet elevation, in any case the State of Andhra Pradesh shall be reimbursed in full for such damage as assessed by the Collector of the said district of the State of Madhya Pradesh (now Chhattisgarh) will provide compensation.
• The matter of design of this dam and its operational schedule will be left to the Central Water Commission to decide as far as practicable in the light of all the agreements between the various parties including the agreement entered into on 2nd April, 1980.”
• “Indira Sagar Polavaram Project” was renamed and notified as “Polavaram irrigation project”, according to a Government Order (GO) issued by the Government of Andhra Pradesh in 2015.

Objectives:

• The Project will provide irrigation to 2.91 lakh ha. (7.2 lakh acres). And produce hydro power with installed capacity of 960 MW. The project will also divert 80 TMC of Godavari water to Krishna River above Prakasam Barrage. In addition, it will supply 23.44 TMC of water for Visakhapatnam city and at the same time provide drinking water facility to 540 villages (28.5 lakh population) en-route the canals.
• Odisha and Chattisgarh can use in their territories 5 TMCft and 1.5TMCft respectively by lifting from the pondage of Polavaram Irrigation Project without bearing any cost of storage. The Odisha and Chhattisgarh can develop and export pisciculture and boating facilities in their own territories.
• On account of diversion of 80 TMC of Godavari water into Krishna River, above Prakasam barrage, equal extent of water in Krishna River will be saved. 80 TMC of water thus saved in river Krishna will be shared in proportion to 45 TMC for Andhra Pradesh, 35 TMC (21 TMC+14 TMC) for Karnataka and Maharashtra).
• The spillway consists of 48 vents of size 16m X 20m with hydraulically operated radial gates. Designed for probable Maximum Flood of 50.0 lakh cusecs.
• The Earth-cum-Rock fill dam for gap I and II and Earth dam for gap III proposed across the main river Godavari with a total length of 2454 m. A diaphragm wall of 1.5 m thick, 142 m long and a maximum depth of 100 m keeping 2 metres into rock is proposed underneath the Earth-cum-Rock fill dam.

Rehabilitation & Resettlement (R&R): 

• Land acquisition and rehabilitation & resettlement (R&R) works of Polavaram irrigation project (PIP) are being carried out by the Government of Andhra Pradesh (GoAP). According to the GoAP, in PIP, a total of 1,06,006 project displaced families (PDFs) have been identified for rehabilitation in the State of Andhra Pradesh.
• Resettlement and Rehabilitation of the project affected families include identification of habitations affected, notification of habitations, conduct of socio economic survey, land acquisition for R&R colonies, land levelling, allotment of house sites, tenders for construction of R&R colonies, convergence with other departments, payment for R&R entitlements, skill development for youth and resettlement of PDFs
• Upto December, 2013, R&R package being provided for the displaced families of PIP was in accordance with the R&R 2005 policy of Government of Andhra Pradesh (GoAP) which entitled each PDF of PIP to receive Rs 2.83 lakh, along with the house site. The said policy also provisioned for land–to–land to scheduled caste/ scheduled tribes (SC/ST) PDFs.
• However, January, 2014 onwards, R&R package is being provided as per Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (RFCTLARR) Act, 2013 (Act). According to the Act, R&R package for SC/ST PDFs of PIP comes to Rs. 6.86 lakh, while for the other PDFs of PIP, the package is Rs. 6.36 lakh. In addition, the house site is also to be given to all PDFs of PIP.
• The Act also provides that those persons losing land and belonging to SC/ST will be provided land equivalent to land acquired, or two and a one-half acres, whichever is lower. In addition, GoAP has sanctioned an additional R&R package so that each displaced family of PIP receives a total R&R package of Rs. 10 lakh, including the above-mentioned entitlements under this Act.
  The Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) is an autonomous body established as per AP Reorganization Act, 2014 under the administrative control of MoWR to manage and regulate the Waters of Krishna Basin in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

 According to AP Reorganization Act, 2014 section 86, para 2, The Government of the successor States shall at all times provide the necessary funds to the Board to meet all expenses (including the salaries and allowances of the staff) required for the discharge of its functions and such amounts shall be apportioned between the States concerned in such proportion as the Central Government may, having regard to the benefits to each of the said States, specify.

S.O.1391(E) – In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-sections (1), (4) and (5) of Section 85 of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 (6 of 2014), the Central Government hereby constitutes the Krishna River Management Board for the administration, regulation, maintenance and operation of such projects on Krishna river, as may be notified by the Central Government from time to time, consisting of the following Chairperson and
Members, namely:-

1. An officer of the level of Additional Secretary to the Government of India from the Central Water Engineering (Group “A”) Service –Chairperson
2. Two members, to be nominated by each of the successor – States of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, of which one shall be the technical member not below the rank of Chief Engineer and the other administrative member to represent the concerned States -Members

One expert from the Central Power Engineering (Group ‘A’) Service-Members

1. An officer not below the rank of Chief Engineer from the Central Water Engineering (Group’A’) Service -Member
   Secretary
2. The headquarters of the Krishna River Management Board shall be at Hyderabad.

Section 84: Apex Council for Godavari and Krishna river water resources and their Management Boards.

(1) The Central Government shall, on and from the appointed day, constitute an Apex Council for the supervision of the functioning of the Godavari River Management Board and Krishna River Management Board.

(2) The Apex Council shall consist of–––

(a) Minister of Water Resources, Government of India—Chairperson;

(b) Chief Minister of State of Andhra Pradesh—Member;

(c) Chief Minister of State of Telangana—Member.

(3) The functions of the Apex Council shall include––

(i) supervision of the functioning of the Godavari River Management Board and Krishna River Management Board;

(ii) planning and approval of proposals for construction of new projects, if any, based on Godavari or Krishna river water, after getting the proposal appraised and recommended by the River Management Boards and by the Central Water Commission, wherever required;

(iii) resolution of any dispute amicably arising out of the sharing of river waters through negotiations and mutual agreement between the successor States;

(iv) reference of any disputes not covered under Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal, to a Tribunal to be constituted under the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956 (33 of 1956)

YSR KALYANAMASTHU & YSR SHAADI TOHFA: 

• To financially empower the eligible brides and their families, the Government is extending the one-time financial assistance under the Scheme YSR KALYANAMASTHU for SC/ST/BC/Minorities (other than Muslims)/Differently Abled/ Building and Other Construction Workers registered with Welfare Board (BOCWWB) & YSR SHAADI TOHFA for Muslim Minorities.
• The scheme has been implemented w.e.f. 01.10.2022.
• The aim of the Government is to implement these Schemes on a saturation basis, in a transparent manner through the Grama/Ward Sachivalayam with the enhanced scale of financial assistance.

Beneficiaries of the Scheme  

• Under the scheme of “YSR KALYANAMASTHU and YSR SHAADI TOHFA”, the Mother of the bride is eligible for the Financial Assistance. In cases where the mother of the bride is deceased, the bride is eligible for Financial Assistance.
• In the case of Inter Caste Marriages, Financial Assistance will be released to the Bride.
• In marriages between a Differently Abled and a non Differently Abled person or between two Differently Abled persons, the Mother or female spouse will be eligible for incentive as prescribed above.