History
Till the year 1946, Agricultural Engineering was a section of the Agriculture Department in Uttar Pradesh state. Its headquarters was Kanpur. On the basis of recommendations, in the year 1947, the Agricultural Engineering section was separated from the Agriculture Department and an independent Agricultural Engineering Department was formed. Its first Chief Agricultural Engineer was appointed as Mr. P.C. Vishwanathan.
The newly formed Agricultural Engineering Department was entrusted by the government with the task of boring wells/tube wells for farmers, manufacturing and repairing equipment used in irrigation and farming, ploughing of fields by tractors for farmers, etc. Initially, the state was divided into three zones, Kanpur, Varanasi and Meerut, for irrigation services. One agricultural engineer, whose post was equivalent to that of an executive engineer, was appointed for each zone. Later, two more zones, Gonda and Agra, were created. The following officers and employees were arranged to assist them:
- Assistant Engineer
- Senior Mechanical Inspector
- Mechanical Supervisor
- Boring Mechanic
- Assistant Boring Mechanic
- Mechanic
Independent Agricultural Engineering Departments were created for the implementation of the “Produce More Food” scheme. In the year 1964, an independent department “Minor Irrigation” was approved by the government to run the minor irrigation program, whose head of the department was the Superintending Engineer.
In the year 1965, the government approved grants for all minor irrigation works, which remained available till 31.12.1967. From December 1967, grants were available only for concrete wells. Gradually, posts of Assistant Engineer were created in every district and posts of Executive Engineer were sanctioned in divisions.
At the time of creation of Uttarakhand state (November 2000), a strong structure of minor irrigation had been set up in Uttarakhand state, in which a department existed with three Executive Engineers, 14 Assistant Engineers, 125 Junior Engineers, 53 Boring Technicians, 13 Assistant Boring Technicians, total 335 posts under one Superintending Engineer (Nodal Officer).
About one-third of the total irrigation capacity created in India every year is created only through minor irrigation means. In Uttar Pradesh, 0.8 to 1.00 M.ha irrigation capacity is being created every year through private means, which is 8-10 percent of the world rate. From this, the development of the minor irrigation program can be estimated.
80 percent of the irrigation area created in Uttarakhand state is irrigated by minor irrigation resources such as gul, cistern, hydram, boring pumpset, ground level pumpset, artesian, electric pumpset, well, government/personal tube well, diversion and weir etc. Even in future, the possibility of big irrigation schemes here is negligible. Whereas there is abundant possibility and demand for minor irrigation schemes in the state. Looking at the utility of the department, the structure of the Minor Irrigation Department has been strengthened by the Uttarakhand Government. At present, 539 posts including 4 Superintending Engineers, 14 Executive Engineers, 38 Assistant Engineers and 145 Junior Engineers/Additional Assistant Engineers have been sanctioned under Chief Engineer Level-2 in the department.