Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that the state government would spend Rs400 crore to bring 2.25 lakh hactares of agriculture land under micro-irrigation during 2012-13.

Modi was speaking after inaugurating a new plant facility of Netafim Irrigation India Pvt Ltd, promoted by Isreal-based Netafim Ltd at Manjusar in Vadodra on Sunday, where he also said that the state plans to bring 10 lakh hactares of land under micro-irrigation in the future.

The state government has assigned the task of bringing water solutions and implementing water management in the state to Gujarat Green Revolution Company Ltd (GGRC), Modi said

The government has been promoting micro- irrigation, especially in the arid regions of the state like Kutch, Saurashtra and some parts of central Gujarat, he added.

"Government will promote micro-irrigation technology, comprising drip and sprinkler irrigation on a large scale," Modi said.

"The farmers, who have been using traditional methods of irrigation (flood irrigation), do not convert to micro-irrigation so easily, which is why we have launched a state wide campaign on saving water with a slogan- "Per Drop More Crop", he added.

It has become tougher to persuade them, especially after they started getting Narmada water from canals and sub-canals, the chief minister said adding that farmers think that if they are getting sufficient water, then why should they go in for such methods.

Modi claimed that water table in Gujarat has gone up as per figures provided by the Union Government, which is due to constant efforts on water management and giving proper guidance to farmers.

He said that government has decided to lift restrictions on giving new power connections to farmers in 40 talukas of the state (declared as Dark Zone) this year, as the water table has come...