The scheme insists on Participatory Rural Appraisal exercise NAMAKKAL: To boost production under rainfed agriculture, 16 watersheds at an outlay of Rs 57.03 crore have been created in 9,505 hectares in Tiruchengode taluk in the district under the National Watershed Development Programme in Rainfed Areas (NWDPRA) of the Union government. As the bulk of rural poor are living in rainfed areas, the government has accorded highest priority to the holistic and sustainable development of rain-fed agriculture through Watershed Development approach based on the twin concepts of Integrated Watershed Management and Sustainable Farming System and also creation of sustained employment opportunities for the rural community including the landless. These watersheds in Tiruchengode covering 30 villages will be executed by the Project Implementing Agency (PIA) comprising of an Assistant Executive Engineer, Agricultural Engineering Department and Assistant Director of Agriculture, Agriculture Department, Tiruchengode. To prepare the project report, the scheme also insists on a strong Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) exercise. NGOs invited To assist and carry out the PRA exercises, two non-governmental organisations have also been invited to take part. A PRA exercise meeting was carried out in Karumapuram watershed recently in which the President of the Karumapuram Panchayat, N. Jagannathan, along with local farmers took part. The people shared their views with officials and emphasised on the local knowledge. People