The government of Maharashtra has since the past few years been giving subsidy to poor farmers who intend to construct a farm pond on their land. The primary purpose of this scheme is to encourage farmers to implement Rain Water Harvesting and use the pond for water storage. India is largely an agricultural country but in any given community only 30% of the land is fertile and used for farming while the remaining 70% remains barren as a wasteland. By encouraging farmers to build a shet tale on this wasteland, the government hopes that it will increase the availability of water for drinking and irrigation, while also creating reserve storage of water to be used during times of drought. The shet tale can also be used for rearing fish which will supplement the farmer’s income but this requires a big tank and has additional costs involved.
Complete Information about Shettale Scheme You can read the complete details about this new government scheme along with details of eligibility and amount of subsidy you are eligible for :
Inception: The scheme was first started in 2010 and is still being implemented. In 2016, the Maharashtra government further improved the scheme calling it “Magel Tyala Shet Tale Scheme” and increased the funds made available for farmers. Under the first phase of this scheme, the government hopes to create at-least 52,000 ponds in the drought-hit areas of Maharashtra.
Subsidy from Government: You can get a subsidy of 70-75% of the cost involved in the construction of the pond. Example: If you incur a cost of Rs 1 Lakh to build the shet tale, then you can expect a subsidy of an amount which is a little more than Rs 70,000 from the Agriculture Department.
Sheattle Plastic Sheet Recently the government has also introduced a subsidy for the plastic paper which is used to cover the bottom of the shet tale (pond). By using a plastic sheet you prevent the water from percolating into the ground. You cannot use a plastic sheet for your pond if you are planning to rear freshwater fish in it. The cost of plastic sheet for shet tale varies from Rs 50 to Rs 100 per square feet. So if your pond is 600 square feet in the area you will require 700 sq feet of plastic sheet which will cost you between Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000. These rates are for 500 micron HDPE plastic sheets of superior quality. You can also get other cheaper plastic sheets which are made in china, ask your nearest dealer.
Shet tale Size and Location The most common shet tale size is 30 meter X 30 meter X 3 meter. 3 meters is the depth of the pond with half of it being dug below the ground while the other half is built by making a boundary wall with soil collected from the surroundings. You need to get approvals from the Department of Agriculture for the size and location of your pond. Different districts have different limits on size and location. You can locate the pond at height or in a depression if you intend to implement rainwater harvesting.
Who do you need to contact to avail of this subsidy? You need to contact the agriculture officer of your district or town who is appointed by the Agricultural Department of the Government of Maharashtra. You can also inquire in the nearest panchayat, taluk office.
For Information about shet tale yojana in mp3 click on the following website link www.mahaagri.gov.in. Download information in Marathi at – Shettale.pdf
