The Hindu Business Line : AP Govt formulates Rs 6,000-cr rural water schemes

THE State Government is laying stress on providing clean drinking water to the rural masses and improving road connectivity to villages and "for the first time commercial banks are also coming forward to finance the schemes," according to Mr J. Diwakara Reddy, Panchayat Raj Minister.

At a press meet here on Thursday, the minister said that earlier commercial banks were not willing to finance for rural schemes - roads or water projects - but it had changed after the assumption of power by the Congress. "Our creditworthiness has increased so much that banks are vying with one another to finance the schemes," he claimed.

He said the Government had formulated rural drinking water schemes worth Rs 6,000 crore to be implemented in a phased manner. Initially, Rs 350 crore would be spent on water schemes in Anantapur district and Rs 150 crore in Nalgonda district.

"We will concentrate on surface water and try to arrange permanent, reliable water sources for villages. In the past, borewells used to be dug and more often than not they were becoming defunct after some years," he said.

The minister said that the Government had expected Rs 400 crore from Nabard last year, but could get only Rs 220 crore.

"This year we expect Rs 400 crore from the bank and we are sure of getting the amount for rural schemes," he said.

On delegation of powers to the panchayat raj institutions, he said the Congress was very keen on doing so but the Telugu Desam Party was adopting a negative role.

"We wanted to introduce the Bill for setting up district planning boards in the last session itself, but the Telugu Desam stalled it," he alleged. However, the Government would do so in the next session, he added.

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