ITC signs pact with Karnataka for Watershed Development Programme covering 1 mn acres

Multi-business conglomerate ITC Ltd on Monday said it has entered into a partnership with the Government of Karnataka to execute a Watershed Development Programme, covering over 1 million acres and 100 watersheds in across the state.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between ITC and the Karnataka Watershed Development Department on March 5, 2021, which will be in effect for three years, said a statement.

The MOU is a part of ITC”s Sustainability 2.0 agenda which encompasses forging meaningful public-private-people partnerships to amplify impact and reach, it added. It also aims at building the climate resilience of farmers by ensuring water security.

ITC as part of its CSR Programmes is implementing watershed development programmes in several parts of the country.

Commenting on the development ITC Executive VP and Head Social Investments Ashesh Ambasta said: “For years, ITC has been at the forefront of water stewardship programmes in India and our efforts have been focussed on scaling up integrated watershed development projects across different states. Our initiatives are aligned with Government missions like Jal Shakti Abhiyan and More Crop Per Drop.”

Karnataka, a pioneer state in watershed development in India, has launched the programme “Watershed development for Drought Proofing” in 100 drought-hit and low groundwater taluks by covering an area of 1.16 million acres in the state.