Bringing more rain-fed areas in India under assured irrigation has become an urgent necessity as the crop yield of rain-fed rice in the country is projected to reduce by 20% by 2050 due to climate change. For Assam, with 60% of its cultivated area being rain-fed, the transformation of these areas into irrigated land is a race against time. Official data on the implementation of irrigation schemes, however, presents a gloomy picture and warrants an urgent review for course correction. The flagship scheme for irrigation, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY), launched in 2015, has two key components: the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) component pertaining to the development of canals, dams, auxiliary setups, etc., with an outlay of Rs 18,352 crore, and the Command Area Development and Water Management (CADWM) component to enhance utilization of irrigation potential created and improve agriculture productivity with an outlay of Rs 5,566 crore for the period 2021–26. Ironically, while the budgetary allocation for AIBP for 2022–23 was reduced to Rs 1800 crore at the Revised Estimates stage from budget estimates of Rs 3237 crore, no amount had been spent till December 2022 under the component. Total expenditure under the scheme in the financial year was Rs. 668 crore, which speaks volumes about the poor utilization. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Water Resources recommended the Department act proactively and monitor the pace of actual expenditure and flow of funds under such an important scheme in order to ensure optimum utilization of budgetary allocations. The Committee also urged the Department to identify the factors or reasons that restricted them from utilizing the funds and take suitable remedial action accordingly, keeping in view the importance of AIBP for the agriculture sector. The Ministry attributes the major reasons for the reduction in the outlay to a change in the appraisal and approval mechanism for the inclusion of new projects under PMKSY-AIBP. It elaborates that so far, inclusion of additional projects under PMKSY-AIBP has been possible through a multi-stage intra-Ministry approval process. However, the appraisal and approval process is required to be aligned with the Department of Expenditure guidelines, which require inter-ministerial consultations, the approval of the Public Investment Board or SFC, and in several cases, the approval of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs. While earlier, the entire process could be completed in a month or so, the revised procedure now takes four to six months at least, as the Ministry was quoted as informing the panel in the committee’s report. The problem could have been addressed at the stage of changing the appraisal and approval mechanism. Simplifying the procedures to fast-track the approval process has strategic importance for the country’s ability to overcome climate challenges to its food security. Extreme weather events such as large excess rains, large deficit rainfall, drought conditions, erratic rainfall, etc. have posed sustainability challenges to farmers dependent on rain-fed cultivation. Providing assured irrigation coverage to these areas is crucial to building the resilience of the farmers against climate change’s impact and preventing their withdrawal from farming and shifting to alternative livelihoods. The report also highlights the complexities involved in the Single Nodal Agency (SNA) system that has been made mandatory for all centrally sponsored schemes and adds that there are many complex issues involved in its implementation by the States, due to which, in a large number of cases, the release does not take place even after the necessary approvals have been obtained. As a result of the delay, the states are not able to claim the four installments in a year stipulated by SNA guidelines. The parliamentary panel observed that the BE provision for CAD&WM for FY 2022–23 was Rs. 1044 crore, which was reduced by more than 86% to just Rs. 140 crore at the RE stage. Rain-fed cultivation areas in the country account for about 40% of the total food production. Hence, assured irrigation remains a key intervention to increase productivity apart from other interventions like soil health improvement, climate-resilient species introduction, traditional agricultural and horticultural species that require less water, high-yielding varieties, balanced use of fertilizers etc. It is the states responsibility to manage available water resources to meet demand for irrigation, human and animal consumption, fish farming, etc. Therefore, apart from timely submission of a comprehensive and financially sound detailed project report seeking central assistance and submission of utilization certification for timely release of subsequent installments, the states also need to earmark adequate allocation in their own budgets to transform the irrigation potential into fully functional irrigation schemes to boost agricultural production. Strengthening the monitoring and evaluation of projects and schemes is critical to ensuring timely implementation and judicious utilisation of funds. Fixing the accountability of officials entrusted with the responsibility of irrigation schemes can help improve fund utilization and monitoring of schemes to ensure that they remain functional optimally. Awareness among farmers also needs to be raised on their role as key stakeholders and on the responsible use of assets created under the irrigation schemes.