The World Bank has sanctioned a loan of Rs 1,332 crore as soft loan for reclaiming the sodic land in the state, said Chief Minister Mayawati on Thursday.

According to Mayawati, after eight years, the World Bank has sanctioned such a loan for the state. “It is a great achievement for the government,” she said.  

The Uttar Pradesh Sodic Lands Reclamation III Project aims to reclaim 1, 35,000 hectare of sodic land, spread in 25 districts in the next six years. This will aid in improving the food security of thousands of poor farming households through increased productivity and cropping intensity.

The CM said around 2.40 lakh small and marginal farmers will be benefited from this project. The project builds on the achievement of the first two sodic land reclamation projects in the state, which have already helped reclaim more than 2, 50,000 hectares of barren land.  

These projects have been very successful in raising the income of poor people in the state and so far more than 4, 25, 000 poor families have benefited from the three to six fold increase in crop yields. The new project is expected to directly benefit over 3,25,000 rural families.

Beyond reclaiming sodic lands for sustainable agricultural use, the project also aims to boost agricultural productivity through introducing new technology, better agronomic practices, and more effective provision of key support services. In addition, it will improve the drainage networks in the project area.

A key component of the project is to mobilise vulnerable groups, especially women, into Self Help Groups (SHGs). The project will support the formation of some 5,500 SHGs in around 2,600 project villages. The previous projects have already supported around 15,000 SHGs, helping them pool savings and connecting them to the formal banking network.