The Hindu Business Line : Centre preparing report to tackle fluorosis: Rana

THE Centre has commissioned a study on the extent of fluorosis and will launch a special programme to tackle the problem as part of a Rs 12,545-crore plan to provide drinking water to all villages by 2004. The report is expected to be ready by next month.

Mr Kashiram Rana, the Minister for Rural Development, has said that the Government has earmarked Rs 12,545 crore for drinking water schemes during the Tenth Plan (2002-07), which is 54 per cent higher than Rs 8,150 crore spent during the Ninth Plan.

"Special efforts are being made to provide safe drinking water in rural habitations affected by water quality problems like fluorosis, arsenic, brackishness and excess iron," Mr Rana said, while inaugurating the three-day Editors' Conference on Social Sector Issues here.

The Government has earmarked Rs 76,774 crore for rural development schemes in the Tenth Plan, which is 80 per cent higher than the Rs 43,874 crore spent during the Ninth Plan period, he said.

Listing out the various initiatives taken by the Rural Development Ministry, Mr Rana said proposals under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) for Rs 9,000 crore for linking 40,000 habitations with roads of about 67,000 km had already been cleared and are likely to be completed by December.

"There is a close link between rural connectivity and growth... States with poor connectivity are also the States that reflect poor socio-economic indices. The Government plans to provide road connectivity to villages with over 1,000 population by the end of this year and for habitations with population over 500 by 2007," he said.

The Minister also said that 56 lakh houses for Below Poverty Line (BPL) families in rural areas have been constructed during the last five years with an investment of about Rs 10,860 crore.

Stating that all panchayats, blocks or districts that achieve full sanitation coverage and eliminate the practice of open defecation will be rewarded, the Minister said that the Centre has launched `Nirmal Gram Puraskar' scheme to motivate panchayati raj institution members, officials and non-government organisations working for promotion of rural sanitation.

He also said that to mark tenth anniversary of the passage of the Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act for giving more power to panchayats, the Government has decided to give awards to six district panchayats (Rs 30 lakh each), 12 intermediate panchayats (Rs 20 lakh each) and 50 gram panchayats (Rs 10 lakh each).

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