Irrigation Rates Watery Arguments

Jasveen Jairath B D DHAWAN has again drawn attention to the question' of irrigation water rates in the recent issues of EPW [Dhawan 1997a and 1997b], The focus of the earlier article was to highlight the high cost of providing canal irrigation. Using cost data from the National Accounts Statistical Organisation of GOI, he concluded that the per hectare cost of supplying public irrigation through canals increased from Rs 488 to Rs 2,277 times at current prices. At constant prices