NRAA Reviews Draft Watershed Guidelines Under REWARD Programme
Last updated: 25 Sep 2026 NEW
Quick Summary
The National Rainfed Area Authority held a National Level Technical Committee meeting on 22 September 2026 in New Delhi. About 45 experts reviewed the second draft of the National Technical Guidelines under the REWARD programme. These guidelines will shape future watershed development work under PMKSY 3.0.
Why It Matters
What Happened
The National Rainfed Area Authority (NRAA) held a National Level Technical Committee (NLTC) meeting on 22 September 2026. The venue was the NASC Complex in New Delhi. The meeting took place under the REWARD programme, which works on improving watersheds for farming.
Dr. Chandra Shekhar Kumar, CEO of NRAA, led the meeting. Dr. A. K. Nayak from ICAR, Shri Nitin Khade from the Department of Land Resources, and officials from Odisha and Karnataka also joined. Scientists, state nodal agency teams, technical partners, NGOs and the REWARD project team took part. Around 45 people attended in total. Dr. Susama Sudhishri coordinated the session.
Why It Matters
Watersheds decide how well rain-fed farms store water and stay productive. The draft National Technical Guidelines (NTG) will guide future watershed work across India under Watershed Development Component - Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana 3.0. So the decisions taken here can affect farmers in many states.
The CEO asked for proof behind every claim made in the draft guidelines. He used data from the REWARD programme as the base. He also told Odisha and Karnataka to share their watershed data and Decision Support System with all stakeholders. Dr. A. K. Nayak pushed for linking Land Resource Inventory with hydrology for better planning. Officials also discussed finishing project reports faster and building web portals soon.
Key Points
- NRAA held the National Level Technical Committee meeting on 22 September 2026 at NASC Complex, New Delhi.
- Around 45 participants joined, including officials from Odisha and Karnataka.
- Members reviewed the additions made in the second draft of the National Technical Guidelines.
- The CEO asked states to share watershed data and the Decision Support System with all stakeholders.
- A suggestion was made to cut project report preparation time from 6 months to 3 months.
- The final guidelines will support watershed development under PMKSY 3.0.
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