Government will make 6 lakh acres of saline land cultivable (Photo: Jagran)
Jagran Team, Chandigarh/Hisar. The biggest and direct benefit for Haryana in the Union Budget 2026 has come from the agriculture sector. For the first time, the Center has indicated clear and targeted intervention regarding waterlogging and saline land, which has been a problem for thousands of farmers in the state for a long time. In the budget, the way for technical and financial cooperation has been opened with special provisions under the National Agricultural Development Scheme, due to which the direction of making about 6 lakh acres of affected land of Haryana cultivable again is being considered.
Considering Haryana's geographical location and agriculture-based economy, the Central Government has given priority in the budget to the problem of the state, which was affecting both production and income for decades. In districts like Jhajjar, Rohtak, Sonipat, Hisar, Fatehabad, Jind and Sirsa, crops continued to weaken due to rising water level and increase in salinity. To deal with this challenge, it has been proposed to adopt modern technologies like vertical drainage and sub-surface drainage in Budget 2026.
After the budget, a target has been set for the next 3 to 5 years for the improvement of land affected by waterlogging in Haryana. Under this, excess water and salt will be taken out by laying a network of pipes under the ground in the fields. With this technology, farming will be possible again in the fields where crops were difficult to grow before. The government will bear a major part of the cost under the joint strategy of the Center and the state.
There are about 12 lakh acres of agricultural area in Haryana, where the groundwater level has reached dangerously high levels. Of these, about 6 lakh acres of land is affected by severe waterlogging and salinity. Jhajjar, Rohtak, Sonipat, Hisar, Fatehabad, Jind and Sirsa districts are facing this problem the most. According to experts, crop production in these areas has decreased by 30 to 70 percent. Drainage systems, micro-irrigation and water harvesting schemes will be implemented in an integrated manner after the budget.
The Haryana government had long presented the problem of waterlogging and saline land before the Centre, terming it a serious agricultural crisis for the state. Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini himself had demanded from the Central Government that special assistance should be given to the bean affected areas considering the situation as a natural disaster. The provisions made under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana in Budget 2026 are being seen as an acceptance of this demand, which has given the Centre's support to the state's strategy.
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