Substitution of section 14

For section 14 of the principal Act, the following section shall be substituted, namely:-- "14. Matters which a scheme may provide.-- A scheme may provide for all or any of the following matters, namely:-- (1) identification of priority watersheds by field survey and by using techniques like remote sensing and by the methodology prescribed by the Land Improvement Board or, as the case may be, by the Soil Conservation Board. Explanation.-- For the purpose of this clause, "priority watershed" means a watershed which is subjected to severe soil erosion hazards leading to loss of valuable top soil, loss of fertility and siltation of reservoirs, tanks down below and the watershed which should be tackled immediately to prevent further erosion and loss of top soil; (2) measures to control soil erosion due to water and wind such as the following, namely:-- (a) construction of contour or graded bunds (narrow base terrace), bench terraces, bundhis with surplusing arrangement and disposal outlets arrangements for planting on earthfill surfaces; (b) levelling of land and improvement of soil by applying appropriate amendments, manures and fertilisers; (c) adopting appropriate farming or tillage practices such as contour cultivation, strip cultivation, shallow or deep cultivation; (d) growing up quick maturing leguminous crops during rainy season and growing row crops with appropriate conservation measures; (e) retirement of any land from cultivation if its continuance under agriculture is prejudicial to that land or some other land; (f) afforestation of degraded forests and non-agricultural lands along with closures and necessary soil conservation practices with a view to promoting improved tree growth, from forests and village woodlots; (g) development of grasslands and fuel-cum-fodder reserves in wastelands, community lands or Government land; with appropriate soil conservation measures such as contour dykes and check dams; (h) control or regulation of grazing, felling or lopping of trees or clearing of bushes; (i) raising of utility tree plants on private lands, community lands or waste lands with a view to provide additional supplies of feed fodder as well as vegetables, besides raw-materials for subsidiary industries and income therefrom such as planting of sisal, cashewnut, sasbania grandiflora, drum stick and amla; (j) planting and growing of trees, shrubs or grasses for providing shelter belt or wind breaks or other protection purposes; (k) prevention of breaking up of marginal and sub-marginal lands for cultivation purposes; and (l) controlling and establishing torrents or choes, landslides and slips, roadside and cattle path erosion, by biological and engineering measures, such as check dams, spurs, retaining walls and revetments; (3) construction of earth and masonary works in fields, gullies and ravines including catch water drains, wherever necessary; (4) (a) construction of small storage structures including ponds at appropriate locations in private lands, community lands or Government lands with a view to increasing surface detention; (b) construction of depression storage in the catchment to promote greater infiltration, reduce silt-load in channel flows and peak flows, farm, ponds and other water harvesting measures combined with erosion and gully control works; (c) restoration of degraded lands for better management; (d) increase institutionalisation of incident rainfall by creating potential for providing protective and supplemental irrigation and thus increase production taking up nalla plugging, field bundhis, tanks, etc., with a view to increase better ground water recharge and some subsequent utilisation for productive as well as domestic use of water; (5) control of water logging and impeded drainage including development of waterlogged areas into ponds, opening of drainage ditch, increasing number of culverts and other cross drainage works for releasing larger portion of the affected area for development and utilisation for productive management; (6) reclamation of lands subject to salinity, alkalinity, by providing appropriate drainage system with storage ponds, wherever necessary; applying amendments; impounding water for washing down the injurious salts and taking up appropriate crops to reduce the harmful salts for increasing aggregate production; (7) improvement of sandy soils by constructing bundhis, planting grasses, shrubs and trees, levelling the land, restricting the depths of cultivation, growing leguminous crops and controlling grazing and exploitation; (8) taking up consolidation of holdings in the notified area, in accordance with the relevant law on the subject, for better use of the land and the available water and for the disposal of the excess water; (9) introducing system for utilising products such as sisal leaf, cashew pods for enhancing employment and income therefrom; (10) protection of land against damage by flood or drought; (11) training of streams; (12) regulation or prohibition of firing of vegetation; (13) improvement of water supply; (15) farm drainage; (16) farm irrigation; (17) control of the strips of land forming swamps and spring sources; and (18) any other matter which may be prescribed.".