Tamil Nadu :

Under the Integrated Watershed Management Project (IWMP) implemented by the District Watershed Development Agency (DWDA), a federation of women self-help groups (SHG) received revolving fund for buying milch cows at Pusalapuram in Peraiyur taluk on Thursday.

“We work with the locals and the community at large in the areas where watershed projects are implemented. After bringing together four women’s groups to form Meenakshi Amman Federation in Pusalapuram, we gave them a revolving fund of Rs. 2 lakh to buy eight milch cows to engage them in dairy business,” explained S. Kanagaraj, Project Manager, Tamil Nadu Watershed Development Agency, and Deputy Director (Agriculture).

“We helped them in land reclamation, water and soil erosion control, and assisted landless labourers to get farm implements. We distributed irons and other materials as means for their livelihood,” he said.

Ongoing works

Works being carried out at Pusalapuram watershed included 15 Gabion check-dams. Channels were being cleared and ‘ooranis’ desilted on an outlay of Rs. 52.32 lakh so that 436 hectares of land could be irrigated.

Under the DWDA, nine projects under Integrated Watershed Management Programme were being implemented in Sedapatti, Usilampatti, Kallupatti, Kottampatti and Melur, he added.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Madurai / by Staff Reporter / Madurai – March 27th, 2015