Nishulk Boring Yojana (Free Boring Scheme)
The department drills a shallow borewell for a small or marginal farmer against a grant-in-aid of ₹5,000 to ₹10,000 by category, with a separate grant toward the pump set.
Run by: Minor Irrigation Department, Government of Uttar Pradesh
- Running since
- 1985 — Minor Irrigation flagship
- Boring grant
- ₹5,000 small · ₹7,000 marginal · ₹10,000 SC/ST
- Pump-set grant
- ₹4,500 · ₹6,000 · ₹9,000 by category
- Min land (general)
- 0.2 ha tilth; waived for SC/ST
Overview
Running since 1985, the Free Boring Scheme (Nishulk Boring Yojana) is the flagship of Uttar Pradesh's Minor Irrigation Department. It puts a shallow tube well on a rainfed smallholding so the farmer can water the crop when it needs water, instead of waiting on the monsoon. In most of Uttar Pradesh water is reached at about 31–60 metres — shallow enough for a light hand- or ring-boring set.
The help comes in two parts. First, a grant-in-aid on the boring itself: up to ₹5,000 for a general-category small farmer (holding up to 2 hectares) and up to ₹7,000 for a general-category marginal farmer (up to 1 hectare). For a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe farmer the boring grant is up to ₹10,000, and whatever is left after the boring can go toward a reflex valve, delivery pipe and fittings. A general-category applicant must have at least 0.2 hectare of ploughed land; that minimum, and the need to fit a pump, are both waived for SC/ST farmers.
Second, a separate grant toward the pump set — the part that actually lifts the water. A general-category small farmer gets up to ₹4,500 and a marginal farmer up to ₹6,000 toward a purchased ISI-mark pump; an SC/ST farmer gets up to ₹9,000. Since 2012-13 there is also a 50% grant toward 110 mm HDPE delivery pipe. If the boring fails to strike water, the government bears part of the wasted cost rather than leaving it all on the farmer.
The shallow free-boring scheme sits inside a wider family of Minor Irrigation schemes for land a shallow set cannot reach — medium and deep tube wells for farmer groups with a larger command area, in-well ring boring for the rocky plateau blocks of Jhansi, Lalitpur and Chitrakoot, and a surface-pump grant for the Bundelkhand and Prayagraj belt where boring is difficult. Apply on minorirrigationup.gov.in or at the district Minor Irrigation office.
What you get
The benefit as the state notifies it — nothing here is an estimate.
- The shallow borewell is drilled by the Minor Irrigation Department, with a grant-in-aid of up to ₹5,000–₹10,000 covering the boring cost by category.
- A separate pump-set grant of up to ₹4,500 (general small), ₹6,000 (general marginal) or ₹9,000 (SC/ST) toward a purchased ISI-mark pump.
- For SC/ST farmers, no minimum ploughed-area condition and no compulsion to fit a pump; leftover boring grant can buy a reflex valve, delivery pipe and fittings.
- 50% grant toward 110 mm HDPE delivery pipe, in place since 2012-13.
- If the boring strikes no water, the government bears part of the failed-boring cost.
- Turns a rainfed plot into one with its own water source, so sowing is not a gamble on the rains.
Who is eligible
State schemes usually state their criteria as prose rather than a checklist. This is that prose, unpacked — the department’s verification is what decides.
You qualify if
- Resident small or marginal farmer of Uttar Pradesh — general category up to 2 hectares (small) or 1 hectare (marginal)
- General-category applicant with at least 0.2 hectare of ploughed land
- SC and ST farmers covered without the minimum-area condition
- Holding without an existing borewell or assured irrigation source
Not covered
- General-category holdings that fail the small / marginal size test
- Plots already served by an assured irrigation source or an existing borewell
- Areas where fresh shallow boring is restricted, such as notified over-exploited groundwater blocks — confirm locally
Documents you need
Have these ready before you start — most rejections are a missing paper, not a missing right.
- Aadhaar card
- Khasra / khatauni land record
- Caste certificate for the SC/ST rate
- Bank passbook
- Passport-size photograph
- Gram Sabha no-objection where the district asks for it
How to apply
Fewer steps than a central scheme, and usually one office rather than a portal.
- 1
Apply to the Minor Irrigation Department
On minorirrigationup.gov.in or at the district / block Minor Irrigation office, with the land record, Aadhaar and — for the SC/ST rate — a caste certificate.
- 2
Category and holding check
Your category and land size are verified; they decide eligibility and the size of both the boring and pump-set grants.
- 3
Boring by the department
The department's boring party drills the shallow tube well. If it fails to strike water, the government bears part of the cost.
- 4
Pump-set and pipe grant
After you buy an ISI-mark pump set (and HDPE pipe), the pump-set grant for your category and the 50% HDPE-pipe grant are released.
If something goes wrong
Missing from the list, or payment stuck — here is the channel the department itself publishes for it.
- For an application stuck without a decision, a boring party that does not turn up, or a sanctioned grant that does not reach your account, take it to the Assistant Engineer / Junior Engineer at the block or district Minor Irrigation office, then the Executive Engineer (Minor Irrigation) for the district. Keep your application number.
- Beyond the department, use Uttar Pradesh's Jansunwai (IGRS) — the portal at jansunwai.up.nic.in or the Jansunwai-Samadhan app — or the CM Helpline on 1076 (toll-free, 24×7). Both feed the same system run by the Lok Shikayat Vibhag at the CM Office; note the complaint number to track and reopen it.
Frequently asked questions
Is the borewell really free?
The shallow boring is done by the Minor Irrigation Department against a grant-in-aid — up to ₹5,000 for a general small farmer, ₹7,000 for a general marginal farmer, and ₹10,000 for an SC/ST farmer. That covers the boring cost within those limits.
Is the pump set included?
No, that is a separate grant: up to ₹4,500 (general small), ₹6,000 (general marginal) or ₹9,000 (SC/ST) toward a purchased ISI-mark pump. You buy the pump; the grant covers part of it.
What land size qualifies?
A small farmer up to 2 hectares and a marginal farmer up to 1 hectare, in the general category, with at least 0.2 hectare of ploughed land. For SC and ST farmers that minimum-area condition is waived.
What if the boring hits no water?
The government bears part of the cost of a failed boring, so a dry hole is not entirely the farmer's loss.
Do I have to install a pump to get the boring?
General-category farmers are not compelled to; SC/ST farmers are not either, and can put the leftover of the ₹10,000 boring grant toward a reflex valve, delivery pipe and fittings.
Is there help with the delivery pipe?
Yes — a 50% grant toward 110 mm HDPE pipe, in place since 2012-13.
My land is deep-strata, or I farm as a group — is there another scheme?
Yes. The Minor Irrigation Department also runs medium and deep tube-well schemes for farmer groups with a larger command area, in-well ring boring for the plateau blocks of Jhansi, Lalitpur and Chitrakoot, and a surface-pump grant for parts of Bundelkhand and Prayagraj.
Facts checked against minorirrigationup.gov.in on 20 October 2026. editorial policy.