(wl-3247)-Water Scarcity and Incentive Structure in India

In the backdrop of an urgent need to save water and better manage water resources in India, various state governments along with the union government of India are undertaking important policy measures. Haryana government launched a scheme to conserve groundwater called ‘Mera Pani Meri Virasat’ which provides ₹7,000 to each individual farmer to replace paddy with coarse cereals such as bajra and maize. This article develops upon the field visits in Haryana to analyze this scheme and recommends modification in the scheme from individual-farmer-targeting to farmer-group-targeting to enhance the performance of the scheme especially for low lying areas.