They are promising clean drinking water in villages

The government made progress in its common minimum programme commitment of rural connectivity, development of wasteland and desert regions and rural water supply during 2004-05.

During the period, the government constructed 60,024 kilometers of road for Rs 7,866 crore. In an agricultural economy, where more than two thirds of the people live in rural areas, connectivity is immensely important.

It also spent Rs 883 crore for developing drought prone areas, desert regions and wastelands.

According to the economic survey, 95 % of the rural habitations have been fully covered by the rural drinking water project under the Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana and 4.6% are partially covered.

Rajastan, however, remains a dampener with 2,974 habitations not getting drinking water. Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh are the other states were drinking water problem persists.

Under the accelerated rural water supply programme, it increased central funding by Rs 583 crore to Rs 3,148 crore during the year.