The Gujarat government on Wednesday decided to begin the second spell of Sujalam Sufalam Jal Sanchay Abhiyan drive this year, ahead of monsoon season. The drive is aimed at water conservation through deepening of lakes, tanks and reservoirs. The cabinet of the state government resolved to initiate the drive from February 15 onwards across the state.
Deputy chief minister Nitin Patel said, "The cabinet has decided to run the Jal Sanchay Abhiyan drive this year too. It will start a bit earlier as compared to last year and that is from February 15. The government and other stakeholders can contribute to this drive as it had happened in the previous year too."
"The drive runs on a Public Private Partnership mode and contribution from the government shall remain 60% of the expenditure of the work while 40% share will be from people's contribution. The beneficiaries under MNREGA will be given work and remuneration for these works," Patel added.
The state government claimed that they had succeeded in accumulating 11,000 lakh cubic meter water through the drive that was held last year. Around 14,000 lakes and reservoirs across the state were deepened through removal of silt and heather. The government had spent Rs 700 crore on that drive.
The government has not yet estimated the expenditure for the drive to begin this year, said MK Jadav, the secretary in water resource department.
"Only the proposal has been approved by the cabinet today for the Jal Sanchay Abhiyan drive. We are yet to figure out the expenditure for that. We will shortly prepare an entire estimate for financial requirements for the drive and present it before the finance department," Jadav added.
The secretary also said that it would not be necessary that the works done last year would not be undertaken in this year's drive. The same would be sanctioned, if more water could be stored by further deepening, Jadav further said.
ACT WITH PURPOSE
- The drive is aimed at water conservation through deepening of lakes, tanks and reservoirs
- The drive runs on a Public Private Partnership mode and contribution from the govt shall remain 60% of the expenditure of the work
- Around 14K lakes and were deepened through removal of silt
