CENTRE TO FIND PERMANENT LONG TERM
SOLUTION TO PROBLEMS FACED BY DROUGHT PRONE AREAS
The Parliamentary
Consultative Committee attached to the Ministry of Water Resources
was informed today that the Centre is making concerted effort
to find permanent long term solution to problems faced by drought
prone areas in the country. The Minister for Water Resources,
Shri Arjun Charan Sethi told the Consultative Committee meeting
held here that the solution to the perennial problem may be found
in the basic principle of transfer of water from surplus basins
to deficit areas. This will also help to even out regional and
seasonal variations and help in breaking vicious circle of droughts
and floods. Shri Sethi told the meeting that his Ministry has
formulated a National Perspective Plan for Water Development,
which constitutes 30 Inter-basin transfer links under the Himalayan
river and the Peninsular river component of the Perspective Plan.
The National Plan would give additional benefits of 250 lakh hectares
of irrigation from surface waters and 100 lakh hectares by increased
use of ground waters apart from benefits of water supply, flood
control and power generation. The Ministry has set up a Task Force
under the chairmanship of Shri Suresh Prabhu with a view to bring
about a consensus among the States and provides guidelines on
the norms of appraisal of individual projects and modalities for
project funding for achieving the goal of interlinking of rivers
by the end of the year 2016.
The Minister informed
the Members that the Ministry is also propagating the adoption
of rain water harvesting and water conservation techniques in
the country including drought prone areas. He said the Central
Ground Water Board has identified 174 pilot recharge projects
under the Central Sector Scheme in various States for studies
on recharge of ground water. 115 recharge projects have already
been completed while the remaining 59 schemes are under progress.
As irrigation is
the main user of water and thus remains the focal issue in water
resources development, Shri Sethi emphasised the need for expeditious
completion of large irrigation projects as well for completion
of other projects which were in the advanced stage of construction.
In selection of projects under the programme benefitting the drought
prone areas are given due preference provided under AIBP. The
funds are released in the form of Central Loan Assistance (CLA)
on matching basis. CLA amounting to Rs.11,788 crores has been
released by the Ministry upto September 2003 for 172 major/medium
projects and 3000 minor irrigation schemes in the country. Out
of this, CLA of Rs.6748 crores has been released for the projects
in the drought prone areas.
Participating in
the discussion, the Member from the Lok Sabha, Shri Bikram Kesari
Deo stressed that the projects under the special component plan
being implemented in the KBK districts of Orissa should be completed
as schedule to avoid any cost escalation. He said this will also
mitigate the hardship of the people of that area. He also demanded
that there should be a mechanism in the Ministry to monitor the
progress of the work. Shri V. K. Duggal, Secretary, Ministry of
Water Resources and other senior officers of the Ministry also
took part.
A visual presentation
on the theme ‘Water Resources Development in Drought Prone Area’
formed part of the meeting held today.
