'Jaladhare' aimed at supplying quality drinking water to villages to be launched soon: Kumaraswamy
Bengaluru, October 02: Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy said that a detailed project report (DPR) was being prepared to launch ‘Jaladhare’ project aimed at supplying the quality drinking water to all villages in the state.
Inaugurating the Gandhi Gram Puraskar presentation programme organized by the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj department at the Banquet Hall at Vidhana Soudha here on Tuesday, the CM said that the Jaladhare programme would require more than Rs 60,000 crore and the project was aimed at providing quality drinking to the houses of each village in the state through taps from river water sources. Shortly, the details of the project would be placed before the people, he said.
The credit of introducing the decentralization of power to the nation should go to Karnataka. In 1984-85, then Panchayat Raj Minister Nazeer Saab in the chief minister Ramakrishna Hegde government had introduced decentralisation of power. Noticing that, then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had amended the Constitution and applied that system to the entire country, he added.
Then Rural Development and Panchayat Raj minister in the erstwhile Congress government, HK Patil had started Gandhi Gram Puraskar from 2014 to honour the presidents and officers of the gram panchayats which work honestly and the coalition government has continued the award, the CM said.
The gram panchayats which have got the Gandhi Gram Puraskar during the 150th year Gandhi Jayanti would retain special memory. More than zilla and taluk panchayats, the gram panchayats would have more scope to develop the villages. The gram panchayats in and around Bengaluru would have more than Rs 5 crore revenue and they could do what the state government could not do. The gram panchayats have scope to reach the benefits to the people directly, the CM said.
Priority should be given to cleanliness in villages and gram panchayat presidents and PDOs have more responsibility. Desilting of tanks, clearing of encroachments, increasing the water storage capacity and other works to develop the villages, he said recalling the service of former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri.
Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said that each gram panchayat was like a government on the line of central and state governments. Identifying the best gram panchayats would inspire others to work more efficiently. For the drinking water schemes, the central government should give 70 per cent funds. But for the last four years, the centre has given just 12 per cent and remaining 88 per cent was being borne by the state government, he said.
MLA R Roshan Baig presided over the programme in which, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department Principal Secretary LK Atheek, Secretary Savithri, Director Kempe Gowda and others were present.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
RCB beat MI by 18 runs after batters fire
Mumbai (PTI): Royal Challengers Bengaluru skipper Rajat Patidar, Phil Salt and Virat Kohli blasted half-centuries as the defending champions beat Mumbai Indians by 18 runs in an Indian Premier League match here on Sunday.
Salt (78 off 36 balls) and Kohli (50 off 38 balls) stitched together a 120-run stand for the opening wicket before Patidar scored a rapid 53 off just 20 balls as RCB posted 240 for 4.
In response, Mumbai Indians were restricted to 222 for 5, with RCB spinner Suyash Sharma (2/47) putting the skids on the home side with a double strike in the eighth over, from which they could not recover.
Sherfane Rutherford top-scored for MI with an unbeaten 71 off 31 balls.
While opener Rohit Sharma appeared to be struggling with a hamstring issue and had to retire hurt on 19, his partner Ryan Rickelton made 37, while Suryakumar Yadav (33) and Hardik Pandya (40) were the other contributors for MI.
Brief scores:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru 240 for 4 in 20 overs (Phil Salt 78, Virat Kohli 50, Rajat Patidar 53, Tim David 35 not out).
Mumbai Indians: 222 for 5 in 20 overs (Sherfane Rutherford 71 not out, Ryan Rickelton 37, Hardik Pandya 40; Suyash Sharma 2/47).
