Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Tuesday, Sep 23, 2003
Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Tuesday, Sep 23, 2003 |
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Industry & Economy
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Rural Development Govt chalks out rural water scheme Gaurav Raghuvanshi
New Delhi , Sept. 22 THE Ministry of Rural Development has moved a Cabinet note on `Pradhan Mantri Grameen Jal Samvardan Yojana', a new scheme for rural water conservation announced by the Prime Minister, Mr A.B. Vajpayee, in his Independence Day address this year. "We are formulating a long-term strategy that is effective in saving the country from the curse of floods and drought. We will make an effort to save every drop of water through watershed management, rainwater harvesting and all such techniques," Mr Kashiram Rana, Union Minister for Rural Development and Poverty Alleviation, told Business Line. The Cabinet note on the proposed scheme has already been circulated among different Ministries and the matter is expected to come up for discussion soon. The scheme is to be implemented in 17 States including Gujarat, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. In the first phase, 570 blocks will be covered, while 647 blocks would be covered during the second phase. The Centre will contribute 75 per cent of the funds and the works is to be carried out by village bodies. Mr Rana said that the cost of individual projects would be Rs 10-15 lakh, depending on the size of the village. "There are several areas where there is enough rainfall, but all of it is lost. We will encourage building of structures by gram panchayats to conserve this water. In areas where there is very little precipitation, efforts will be made to conserve whatever little water that is available." The Planning Commission had earmarked Rs 1,000 crore for new initiatives in water conservation during the 10th Plan period (2002-07) and the funds would be used for this new scheme, Mr Rana said. On the ongoing scheme for rural connectivity - the Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) - he said that 18 States would achieve coverage of habitations over 1,000 persons by December. These States include Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and most of the North-Eastern States except Assam. Several States, especially Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, West Bengal, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh, are still far from achieving connectivity for habitations with population over 1,000, he said. In Uttar Pradesh, 12,114 habitations have been identified but the State has achieved connectivity for only 4,205 villages. The situation is worse in Bihar and West Bengal, where 11,547 and 11,478 habitations respectively have been identified for road connectivity but work has been completed in just 1,297 and 1,194 habitations respectively.
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