Certain inadequacies are common to all India states in the irrigation management system. The canal systems have deteriorated due to poor management, irrigation potential is grossly underutilised, there is utter inequality in water distribution and poor quality of service to formers coupled with under-realisation of water charges. This has been the legacy of traditional government oriented institutional setup with nominal user participation. In the last decade, several states have tried to induct a qualitative change in the irrigation management. This article discusses the steps taken by Bihar government towards strengthening Participatory Irrigation Management and highlights the achievements of this model. - Reproduced.