PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF WATER USERS COOPERATIVE SOCIETIES FROM MAHARASHTRA STATE-

Abstract

Irrigation is an age-old practice adopted in India and throughout the world. Panchayat system at village level in India since a long history,is well known.So also when public irrigation facilities were created as Panchayat tradition ,Irrigation water management was formed by the farmers and maintained themselves(Like small water tanks in Tamilnadu,"Malgujari tanks" in Vidharba and "Phad" tanks in Khandesh area in Maharashtra state,and "Subak"system adopted in Indonesia are some of the examples of water management by farmers themselves). But during the development of irrigation by Britishers during their 19th and early part of 20th century in India, they preferred ,due' to administrative and other reasons the "bureaucratic" system of irrigation water management ,which is still continued along with its deficiencies and drawbacks in India since independence.(i.e. during last fifty.. years)and India achieved a lot in irrigation potential also self sufficiency in food and fiber.,...