More funds needed for revival of water bodies: Minister

New Delhi, May 23 (UNI) The government today said more funds would be required for the National Project for repair, restoration and renovation of water bodies, which had the potential to substantially upgrade irrigation potential in the country.

''We will soon approach the Cabinet for greater allocation of funds for the project, which has the potential to bring irrigation sources closer to homes of farmers,'' Water Resources Minister Saif-ud-Din Soz told the Rajya Sabha during question hour.

Replying to a string of supplementaries, Prof Soz said the National Project, directly linked to agriculture, was sanctioned as a pilot project in January last year with an allocation of Rs 300 crore during the Tenth Plan.

''So far Rs 100 crore has been sanctioned, and we intend to approach the Cabinet for a greater allocation for the project, which is to be implemented in one or two districts in each state,'' he said.

Prof Soz said the outlay for the scheme, to be implemented in the remaining period of the Tenth Plan, is Rs 300 crore, to be shared by the Centre and states in the ratio of 3:1.

The Minister said more funds would be required for the scheme as only 14 states and 24 districts had so far implemented the scheme, under which water bodies having original irrigation culturable command of 40 hectare and up to 2,000 hectare were eligible for finance.

Asserting that the project would be implemented vigorously, he said its results were yet to be evaluated. He also said no decision had been taken on enlarging the scope of the scheme in the whole country.

Prof Soz said there are 24,000 water bodies in the country which need to be revived.

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