ITC partners with Karnataka govt for watershed development

BENGALURU: The diversified conglomerate ITC Ltd is partnering with the Government of Karnataka to execute a watershed development programme, which will be covering over one million acres and 100 watersheds in the state. A memorandum of understanding has been signed between ITC’s social investments programme Mission Sunehra Kal and the Karnataka Watershed Development Department this month, which will be in effect for three years.

According to the agreement, ITC will create a council of experts, which will train the team from Karnataka government for application of the company’s drought-proofing framework for planning, implementation, and monitoring of the programme. An official statement from ITC said that the agreement comes as a part of the state government’s ‘Watershed development for drought proofing’ programme, which aims at covering 1.16 million acres of watershed area in 29 districts.

Ashesh Ambasta, executive vice president and head, Social Investments, ITC, said that for years, the conglomerate has been at the forefront of water stewardship programmes in India, where organisation’s efforts have been focused on advancing and augmenting the integrated watershed development projects across different states. He said that ITC’s initiatives under its Corporate Social Responsibility programmes are aligned with government missions such as Jal Shakti Abhiyan and More Crop Per Drop. He further added that it is a matter of immense satisfaction for the company to be able to partner with the state government of Karnataka, and said, “We are delighted to be able to support the government in its laudable endeavor to tackle water stress.”

Venkatesh M.V, Commissioner, Watershed Development Department, Government of Karnataka, said that training sessions by ITC on drought proofing will be a major support for the programme’s implementation, and would make this a unique public-private partnership in the state for watershed development.