Studies on the impact of irrigation on poverty indicate a clear and significantly
positive relationship between access to irrigation and reduction in poverty. Also
study reveals that poor water control strategy has been one of the major hindrances
in the livelihood enhancement of the tribal in Central Indian States. DBIM
presents an unique opportunity to tap potential of enhancing livelihood of poor
families and is important for the precise reason that it enables poor farmers living
in difficult terrains to double their incomes by taking the second crop using diverted
water flows in addition to ensuring assured irrigation for kharif crops.
A typical DBIM scheme will require remarkably lesser investment for irrigation with
minimal maintenance cost. Thus the proposed initiative has the potential of addressing
food security issues of small and marginal land holders in the Central Indian states
by integrating the above initiative with the other core themes of CInI.