He points to the success of micro-irrigation in semi-arid Gujarat, whose agriculture has grown at an average of 9.6% a year since the turn of the century, partly thanks to the creation of 500, 000 small ponds, dams and suchlike.

ECONOMIST: Small projects often give better returns

An average of 11.6m viewers also tuned in to watch the Strictly Come Dancing semi-final on BBC One.

BBC: Sunday night TV ratings highest on record