'No proper allocation to Drining Water Supply Dept'

NEW DELHI: The Department of Drinking Water Supply in the Rural Development Ministry has not got adequate allocation for achieving set targets under Bharat Nirman programme even more than two years after the launch of the project for rural infrastructure development.

The finding has been reported by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development which has disapproved the way the responsibility of arranging the outlay has been passed on to the State Governments though Bharat Nirman is a project of the Centre and the targets are fixed by it.

"In view of the aforesaid scenario, the Committee strongly recommends to the Ministry to take up the issue of inadequate allocation at the highest level. The matter should be taken up at the Cabinet Secretary level and the observations of the Committee in this regard should be conveyed," the 75-page report said.

Expressing concern over the under utilisation of resources by under-performing States, the panel noted that much more needed to be done to motivate the State Governments to implement the Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme seriously.

Besides, it said, there was an urgent need to know the State specific reasons responsible for under-utilisation of resoruces.

The Committee, headed by Kalyan Singh, strongly recommended to the Department to find out the State and district-wise problems and take action accordingly.