Drinking water to all the 21,500 deprived villages within 3 years

Mysore, June 13 (UNI) The Karnataka Government will ensure supply of drinking water to all the 21,500 deprived villages in the State during the next three years, Minister for Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Shobha Karandleje said today.

Speaking to newsmen here after a review meeting of the district administration, she said that the State government accords top priority in providing water facilities to the villages besides toilet for all the villages. The sanitation programme in the state would be implemented on a war footing since number of villages particularly in the Northern Karnataka lacks the facility.

Stating that the budget for her department was only Rs 3,500 Crores, she said that the State would seek more funds from the Union Government for sanitation and drinking water projects. " The government would also seriously consider involve private participation in social oriented programmes," she added.

She said that the State government has plans to formulate an Advisory Committee at the state level to seek the opinion on various programmes and polices in the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Ministry by involving the experts and non governmental organisations in it. This committee would be formed shortly and time and again advise the department on various programmes. Such Committees would also be formed at the district levels.

Ms Shobha said that she would visit the villages to distribute the benefits to the needy people instead of 'village stay' concept.

The department officials would visit to the villages and collect the applications from the people much before her visit to the village.

Referring to distribution of BPL cards, she said the government has decided to take up re survey on this system and during the next cabinet meeting the final decisions would be taken up in this behalf. In future the ration shops should display the bpl and apl card holders list in their respective areas. The entire problems of bpl cards would be settled during the next three months period, she added.

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