AP to spend Rs 2,000 cr on rural water supply: YSR

Hyderabad, Oct 2 (UNI) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy today directed officials to take steps to ensure drinking water supply to every village in rural areas for which the government proposed to spend Rs 2,000 crore in the next two years.

Reviewing the progress of works of water supply schemes in rural areas, Dr Reddy said the government was committed to provide drinking water to every house in the village.

To achieve this, the government was planning to carve a separate department from the Panchayat Raj Department and spend Rs 2,000 crore.

The government had sanctioned water supply schemes for 31,159 villages of which works were completed in 12,621 villages at a cost of Rs 898.78 crore.

His administration had also taken steps to create drinking water facilities in all government schools by sanctioning Rs 104 crore for 34,932 schools.

He said the government had already provided water to 8,605 schools by spending Rs 23 crore and taken up works at a cost of Rs 27 crore in SC, ST, Girijan and residential schools.

The Chief Minister also reviewed the drinking water problems in cities and municipal towns and directed officials to take steps for solving them.

He said the water supply schemes taken up in towns and cities at a cost of Rs 556 crore would be completed in the next two years.

UNI