Impact of Mission Kakatiya on Area under Tank Irrigation in Southern Telangana Zone, India

Aim: The study was done with an aim to find out whether there is any shift in major crops in Southern Telangana Zone with respect to area, production and yield due to the restoration of tanks with the Mission Kakatiya program and to study the growth in tank irrigated area. Data Description: Time series data of 15 years from 2005-10 to 2015-20 which consists of area, production and yield of major crops (Paddy, Maize, Cotton and Groundnut) and area under tank irrigation in Southern Telangana Zone were utilized for the study and was collected from Statistical Year Books published by Directorate of Economics and Statistics. Methodology: Analysis was done with the help of analysis platforms like SPSS and Excel using statistical tools which include linear and compound growth rates. Results: Results revealed that there was a considerable and significant growth observed in area under tank irrigation (29.69%) in Southern Telangana Zone after Mission Kakatiya. With the increase in tank irrigated area, this zone showed a shift towards irrigated and commercial crops like Paddy, Cotton and Maize from the rainfed crops. Conclusion: During the period before Mission Kakatiya there was a negative growth observed in tank irrigated area whereas both the growth rates have turned to positive in the period after implementation of Mission Kakatiya. This study concluded that there is a positive impact on crop characteristics in this zone due to Mission Kakatiya program. As a whole Mission Kakatiya is one of the outstanding projects whose achievements are incomparable and is a blessing for the farmers of Telangana State.