Shimla, March 25 The central government has praised the Himachal Pradesh Jal Shakti Department for completing the first Major and Medium Irrigation (MMI) Census under the Irrigation Census 2023-2025, officials said on Wednesday.
The award was recently presented to Jal Shakti Department Secretary Abhishek Jain by Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil in New Delhi in the presence of Union Jal Shakti Secretary VL Kantha Rao.
The award was formally presented to Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu in Shimla today by Chief Secretary Sanjay Gupta and Jain.
On the occasion, the chief minister lauded the dedicated efforts of the department's officers and officials, calling it a significant achievement.
He said that irrigation is a critical driver for enhancing agricultural productivity and increasing farmers' income, and that strengthening the rural economy remains a top priority of the state government, as reflected in the 2026-27 Budget.
"This achievement highlights the department's commitment to data-driven planning, in addition to improved governance for strengthening the irrigation sector in the state," he added.
The MMI Census has been undertaken to build a comprehensive national repository of irrigation-related data.
Under this framework, irrigation projects with a Culturable Command Area (CCA) of over 10,000 hectares are classified as major projects, while those with a CCA between 2,000 and 10,000 hectares are categorized as medium projects.
In Himachal Pradesh, a total of 10 MMI projects were covered under the Census.
This included one major project and nine medium projects. Of these, eight projects (one major and seven medium) have been completed, while two medium projects are currently ongoing.
The Census involved extensive data collection across 32 parameters, including CCA, Gross Command Area (GCA), irrigation potential created, cropping patterns, interstate aspects, population benefited, statutory clearances, design features, water utilisation across sectors, and Command Area Development (CAD) works.
The department completed the entire exercise by October 2025, well ahead of the December 2025 deadline, demonstrating strong coordination and commitment.
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