Market Overview
State of Rajasthan is the largest state in the country covering an area of 34.271 million hectare which is more than 10% of the total geographical area of the country. The status of water in the state is very critical. Rajasthan with more than 10.4% of the country's geographical area, supporting more than 5.5% of the human population & 18.70% of the livestock has only 1.16% of the total surface water available in the country. 2/3rd part of the state is a part of the Great Thar desert.

The total surface water available in the State is 21.71 BCM, out of which 16.05 BCM is economically utilizable. State has so far harnessed 11.84 BCM which is 72% of economically utilizable portion. In addition to it 17.89 BCM is allocated through Inter-state agreements.

Key Segments

• Dams
• Ponds
• Drinking Water Catchment Area

Key Clusters
The rivers of the state are rain fed and identified by 14 major basins divided into 59 sub basins.

Key Players
Water Resources Department, State of Rajasthan

Policy/ Incentives
Rajasthan Investment Promotion Scheme (RIPS) 2010 
The RIPS 2010 scheme announces exemption from payment of various taxes to the extent and period as mentioned in the table below:

Category of Investment	Types of Exemption from Taxes/ Duties/ Charges	Extent of % of Exemption	Period of Exemption
New Enterprise and Project for Common Social Good Investment made for Modernization/ Expansion/ Diversification Sick Industrial Enterprise for its revival	Luxury Tax	100%	7 years from the date of issuance of Entitlement Certificate.
	Electricity Duty	50%
	Entertainment Tax	50%
	Land Tax	50%
	Mandi Fee	50%
	Stamp Duty on purchase or lease of land and construction/ improvement on such land	50%	One time for each such transaction for the same project.
	Conversion charge payable for change of Land use	50%
	Conversion charge payable for change of Land use	50%

Opportunities
Under the eleventh five year plan, the state government is committed to implement the following in coming years for which a provision of Rs.1430 crore has been proposed:

• Narmada Project - Narmada Canal Project was taken up to utilize 0.5 MAF of Narmada water allocated to Rajasthan. This water will be available to Rajasthan from Sardar Sarowar Project, under construction in Gujarat.
• Mahi Project - For the development of irrigation & power generation. This project would provide irrigation in 80 thousand ha.
• Bisalpur Project - To provide irrigation facility in an area of 81.8 thousand ha. and to provide drinking water to Jaipur, Ajmer, Beawar, Kishangarh, Nasirabad & other enroute villages.

• Isarda Drinking cum Irrigation Project - Isarda Dam is proposed across the river Banas near village Isarda.
• Ratanpura Distributary - To provide irrigation facilities to cultivators of left over area of Sidhmukh & Nohar Irrigation Project.
• Rajasthan Water Sector Restructuring Project (RWSRP) - Improvement of selected surface irrigation system to improve performance efficiency. The project envisages strengthening of the existing irrigation projects up to designed standards.
• Gang Canal Modernization
• Yamuna Water Project (NABARD)
• Surface Minor Irrigation Projects
• Water Harvesting Structures
• Underground Water Department following works were proposed:
  
  • Construction of sub-surface barriers/sub surface dykes etc. in the "overexploited" & "critical" category blocks.
  • Construction of Roof Top Rainwater Harvesting Structures in all government & semi government buildings in urban areas and prominent buildings in rural areas.
  • Storm Rain Water Harvesting along roads pavements in the prominent cities of the state.
  • Recharge of wells in the fields of farmers by diverting the field water received from monsoon rainfall.
  • Strengthening & monitoring network by replacing shallow wells by deep piezometers.
  • Increasing frequency of water level monitoring, ensuring availability of realistic data. Post irrigation monitoring to be done in addition to existing pre & post monsoon monitoring to enable correct assessment of ground water draft from the aquifers.
  • Mass Awareness Programme by publication and distribution of booklets/pamphlets regarding the water conditions in the concerned villages.
• Indira Gandhi Nahar Department - It is proposed to complete the Indira Gandhi Nahar Project stage I & II during the Eleventh Five Year Plan by lining of 1330 km and creating 223 thousand ha. of irrigation potential.

Strengths
State of Rajasthan has done substantial and significant work for the development of water resource in the state, below mentioned are hitherto a few but exhaustive list of accomplishments achieved by Govt. of Rajasthan as follows:
Enactment of Ground Water Bill to regulate and control the development of ground water: 

• The State Govt. of Rajasthan has presented "The Rajasthan Ground Water Management Bill, 2006" in the Vidhan Sabha on 07.04.2006 and was referred to the Select Committee. The Bill is under consideration of the Select Committee.  Creation of "Central Road Fund" funded by the central government to strengthen and widen the state highways and major district roads.
• Various schemes and projects have been launched to achieve the significant amount of self sustainability in the water resource preservation and optimally building up of the water resource infrastructure.

Last Updated: October 10, 2011