Q. Consider the following pairs :

Programme/Project	Ministry
1. Drought-Prone Area Programme	Ministry of Environment and Forests
2. Desert Development Programme	Ministry of Environment and Forests
3. National Watershed Development Project for Rainfed Areas	Ministry of Development

Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched? (UPSC Prelims 2014)
Answer: None
Notes: The correct answer is [D] None.

• Drought-Prone Area Programme (Statement 1 – Incorrect): This programme was launched by the Ministry of Rural Development (Department of Land Resources). Its primary objective is to minimize the adverse effects of drought on crops, livestock, and productivity of land, water, and human resources through a watershed development approach.
• Desert Development Programme (Statement 2 – Incorrect): Like the DPAP, this is also under the Ministry of Rural Development. It aims to control desertification and conserve/rejuvenate the natural resource base of identified desert areas to improve the socio-economic conditions of the local population.
• National Watershed Development Project for Rainfed Areas (Statement 3 – Incorrect): This project falls under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. It was specifically designed to increase agricultural productivity in rainfed areas and to achieve a sustainable biomass production system.

In 2009-10, the three major watershed programmes of the Department of Land Resources (DPAP, DDP, and IWDP) were consolidated into a single modified programme called the Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP). Currently, this has been subsumed under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) as the "Watershed Development" component.