The concept of Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) has been recognized all over the world as a tool for improving irrigation management along with sustainability of the system. Irrigation systems need to be restructured to make water management efficient. However increasing demand of water in all sectors including irrigation made it imperative that the efficiency of the Irrigation Water Management must be increased. National Water Policy and State Water Policy, lay emphasis on participatory irrigation management to be adopted as an essential Strategy for improving the performance of all the irrigation projects and therefore farmers should be involved progressively from the grass root level particularly in water distribution & canal maintenance. Thus the Govt. has planned to involve farmers - users in a more systematic way, at least, at the tertiary level of the canal systems for alleviation of the management problems. Initially Water Users Associations (WUAs) were formed for the purpose and subsequently the WUAs have been renamed as Pani Panchayats.