PRIME MINISTER STRESSED TO MAKE WATER CONSERVATION - A MASS MOVEMENT

A NEW INITIATIVE ‘HARIYALI’ LAUNCHED

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The Prime Minister, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee has stressed to make water conservation into a people’s movement. He said our country is facing a severe water problem not because we do not have adequate resources of water but the problem lies in our inability to conserve all the rainwater. He emphasised upon to start a big drive for the revival, renovation and maintenance of all available resources of water. Launching a new initiative named ‘Hariyali’ the Prime Minister said under watershed management, villagers can take up many small works to conserve water for drinking, irrigation, fisheries and afforestation. This would not only add "Hariyali" to the rural landscape but also create new employment opportunities for the rural poor.

Inaugurating National Conference of the State Ministers of Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Public Works here today, the Prime Minister said this programme is going to be implemented by Panchayati Raj Institution (PRIs) with peoples’ contribution and participation. He highlighted that this is a new trend under which the Centre is providing the Panchayats the necessary resources as well as giving them the responsibility of implementation. Shri Vajpayee said that under Pradhan Manti Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) so far Ministry has cleared project proposals worth Rs. 7000 crore and over 10,000 rural roads have already been constructed. The Centre provides fund for this project, but its implementation is the responsibility of the concerned State Governments. He urged the State Governments to take necessary steps for improving implementation of PMGSY.

The Prime Minister said that employment generation is today one of the biggest challenges before the country. He expressed happiness that 11 lakh Self Help Groups (SHGs) have been formed under ‘Swarnjayanti Gramin Swarozgar Yojana’ (SGSY). Many of these SHGs are founded and run by rural women. This programme has immense potential for making rural people self-reliant and to increase rural incomes by creating opportunities for self-employment at the local level. He emphasised upon the need to conduct a comprehensive and regular review of all rural development programmes. He pointed out that we have to learn appropriate lessons for successes as well as failures in this context. Electronic media has to play a vital role for popularising success stories. Underlining the need for regular monitoring for the evaluation and timely implementation of all rural development programmes, he pointed out there should be independent monitors for this task so that they can give us a true picture of what is happening on the ground.

Shri K. C. Pant, Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission said that achievements are significant in rural development but still 27 per cent people are poor in our country. Generation of employment opportunities and peoples’ participation is the core agenda of the plan. He appreciated that Self Help Group movement has been showing positive results in some states. He urged to play proactive role in order to provide sustainable employment in rural areas. He expressed his concerns that some states have not taken necessary steps for empowering of PRIs. He said that there is an urgent need to protect and manage our available water resources more judiciously to ensure water and livelihood security and ecological balance for our people.

Shri Shanta Kumar, Minister for Rural Development said that the rejuvenation and regeneration of wastelands/degraded lands is critical to optimum utilisation of the available land resources. The Minister informed that new programme ‘Haryali’ is aimed at strengthening of PRIs for the implementation of watershed development programmes namely Integrated Wasteland Development Programme (IWDP), Drought Prone Area Programme (DPAP) and Desert Development Programme (DDP). Under this initiative, the Gram Panchayats would execute watershed projects with technical support from the Block Panchayat/Zila Panchayat who would act as Project Implementation Agency (PIAs) for all watershed projects in a particular block. Representation of SHGs and User Groups in the standing committee of Gram Panchayats has been proposed. There will be also regular income in some form for Panchayats through this programme, he said. The Minister highlighted that there has been a paradigm shift in the strategy for Rural Development with focus on decentralization through speedy and effective devolution of financial and administrative powers to the Panchayati Raj Institutions. The Minister mentioned that recently in drinking water sector a new initiative "Swajaldhara" empowering the Panchayats to formulate, implement, operate and maintain drinking water projects has been launched 25^th December 2002.

Shri Om Prakash Chautala, Chief Minister Haryana, Shri P. K. Dhumal, Chief Minister, Himachal Pradesh, Shri Subhash Maharia, Shri Annasaheb M.K. Patil, Ministers of State for Rural Development and State Ministers incharge of Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Public Works works, Shri M. Shankar, Secretary, Rural Development, Shri S. S. Meenakshi Sundaram, Secretary, Rural Drinking Water Supply and senior officials were also present on the occasion.